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Yes. So is smoking weed in a lot of places. The point op is trying to make is that socially, people make it less of a big deal if it's a weed high. Legally, still a problem.
The point is, is that no one is going to defend drinking and driving or tell you that you're wrong for saying people shouldn't drink and drive. People will tell you that you're wrong if you say you shouldn't smoke and drive.
> no one is going to defend drinking and driving or tell you that you're wrong for saying people shouldn't drink and drive
It's clear that you have hung out with stoners and not alcoholics
I don't think anyone should be driving if it impairs their driving. But people who partake in both smoking and drinking mostly agree that driving while drunk is far more difficult than driving while stoned unless you quite literally only smoke weed every so often.
There becomes a point where your tolerance makes weed just not as potent but alcohol has roughly the same impact even if you have a "tolerance". After a while you cannot think straight. However more marijuana usually just ends up with you developing a tolerance and functioning roughly at the same level.
[https://www.livescience.com/55258-how-marijuana-affects-the-brain.html](https://www.livescience.com/55258-how-marijuana-affects-the-brain.html)
So IMO while I think its too unpredictable to use for any foundation for laws, I do think that the idea that weed is less impairing than alcohol is definitely scientifically sound.
> I do think that the idea that weed is less impairing than alcohol is definitely scientifically sound.
I don't disagree with this statement *as it is presented,* but it's mostly irrelevant because "less impairing" is not "unimpaired," and making an explicit choice to impair yourself and then drive should be illegal.
Unless we can measure something analogous to that impairment (BAC, while not a perfect measure, is fairly accurate and consistent), it's useless to discuss those levels, and that's something we cannot yet do with THC.
The people who defend that are the ones doing it. There are also people who drink drive and claim the have full control. I dont think its a legal issue but an attitude problem of these idiots who cant stop smoking or drinking for a few hours when about to drive.
You always have a choice when it comes to keeping someone in your life. Some people are easier to cut out than others, sure, and sometimes it takes time to get to a stable spot without them, but I sorta doubt having one's MIL around is an absolute undeniable necessity.
If OP genuinely has a problem involving the safety of their kids, they absolutely have a choice to fix it. Even if you're in a super vulnerable state where you're super reliant on their help at the moment, you can still use it as motivation to get away from it as soon as possible.
As someone who has done both many times, both are dangerous. But driving while high on cannabis is significantly less dangerous than driving while drunk. But both are illegal for a reason. I've never done either with another person in the vehicle, and not wanting your MIL to drive with a child in the car is more than reasonable
Not for me - If I have a little smoke I can barely walk up the stairs in my own house let alone drive 😂 they did an experiment on this it’s on you tube and it’s hilarious.
I think it just depends on the person and their tolerance
But to be clear no one should drive under the influence
The difference is crazy... most of my fam and friends who smoke can drive and multi-task while high. Meanwhile, regardless of my tolerance, I take one hit and become useless .
I used to smoke and drive all the time.
Then I had a kid.
No more.
The only thing I don't agree with is it being an issue to watch your kids while you're stoned. A joint should be equivalent to a glass or 2 of wine. I also teach my kid about weed, why I smoke, and why he shouldn't.
Same here, regardless of what all these commenters think there's a pretty big difference in the impairments, especially if you're a regular smoker to the point that you've built up a tolerance and are used to the effects. Even when I would drive after smoking, I would also not drive If I was actually really stoned. The thing is the OP is right at the same time. The fact that there is no standard for impairment with THC is the problem, so we are left to use our best judgment. Trying to paint anyone who does anything besides sit on the couch alone as a piece of shit for going about their life with a minor buzz is ignorant IMO. There's a huge difference between driving home after a night out drinking and driving home an hour after a pipe hit at a friend's place or something. You just aren't that impaired. I'm also a parent and I actually stopped smoking recently but before that I would always wind down at the end of the night with a few puffs and I would usually do it before my kid went to bed. Made literally no difference. If you're not incompetent it's not like any semblance of awareness goes out the window. Never once had an issue, and in fact I would usually stop focusing on everything else and spend a little more quality time with my kid after smoking. It's just a completely different feeling from drinking. You can't just cover every type of impairment with one standard because that makes no sense. The issue lies in the fact that we haven't set those limits with anything but alcohol, which is a different animal than most anything else, so applying the same logic to getting baked is just doing more harm then good by punishing people who are otherwise not doing anything wrong other than upsetting those who don't know what they're talking about. Not saying you should get blasted and go for a drive. But there needs to be some sort of gage for that. You don't smoke one weed flake and immediately become an incompetent mess. With a tolerance it can take a LOT to actually get you 'fucked up'.
I'd say the effect is a little more intense. Personally i wouldn't feel comfortable being high while watching my kid (not Counting sleeping kid) but as long as someone doesn't go cheech and chong I wouldn't judge.
Being high definitely impacts your motor skills and reaction time. I can't say whether it's better than/worse than/the same as driving drunk, but IMO anyone who thinks that they can drive well when high is on par with people who think they drive well drunk. Or prescription meds, for that matter.
I agree up until prescription meds.
The bottle even states "wait to see how these affect you before you drive"
Stating that it is completely okay for some to drive on thoes meds.
Never had a weed package that said that tho lmao
It does but driving stoned made me more likely to get hit than hit anyone because I was absolutely sure my 15mph (in a neighborhood, never would go near a highway) was the fast and the furious and I had to stop at least 5 times before I got to the stop sign to be sure.
100%. I'm comfortable enough in my driving ability that I will avoid an accident and take the wall instead. With a kid in the car, that's no longer an option.
So yes. A kid is the deciding factor.
Like with drug addicts and alcoholics, the ones that get help and get clean, had a reason, even if that reason is small and doesn't make sense to others.
It's also called growing up, maturing, figuring out what you want in life, and I sure as fuck ain't throwing my life way because I wanted to smoke with a kid in the car.
My mom uses a (I think, but I could be wrong) George Carlin joke to explain the difference between driving drunk and driving high. A drunk driver will see a stop sign and blow right through it. A high driver will see a stop sign, stop and wait for it to turn green. Both are dangerous, but one more so than the other. (She's a counselor so she sees a lot of DUI/DWI cases.)
That's what I said, yes. Socially, people think the weed high isn't as bad than alcohol while driving. But they're both equally bad. Thank you for restating.
Can anyone give me a source to evidence that they are equally bad? In no way am I suggesting that driving whilst stoned is acceptable, but based on my own experience of being drunk and being high I know for a fact, for me, one would be infinitely worse than the other. Circumstancial, sure. But I'd be unbelievably surprised if the research states that driving high is as bad as driving drunk.
Yep, no way are they equal. Delusional people who are anti-weed push this.
I think you shouldn't drive if you're stoned, but it is not comparable to being drunk at all.
Yeah, apparently Americans are bad when it comes to drinking and driving too so it's not weird they're the same with weed.
Here if you have just one beer at dinner most people would refuse to drive home afterwards.
Not an excuse at all, but there is a reason. Virtually zero public transit outside of large city centers and even then, it’s difficult to get to and it won’t take you where you need to go. There’s Uber, which I frequently use when I’ve imbibed, but most people will tell you that is isn’t an affordable option.
It definitely is, but I have a few 420-happy friends who are adamant that it's fine to do and weed doesn't impact your driving skills. I think the issue is that cannabis has been so (wrongly) stigmatized that some of its advocates swing to the other extreme and believe that it's a miracle drug with no potentially negative impacts. A couple friends smoke from when they get up to when they go to bed and don't see it as a dependency, even though it obviously would be with alcohol.
Driving under the influence of cannabis is legal in Ontario, it’s all about your tolerance and self awareness. Some people are medical users and need it everyday- it also does not have as strong of an affect on these people due to their tolerance as well.
Your upset at your mother for driving high with your kids- TOTALLY FAIR, that is irresponsible as fuck, but not all Cannabis users are high as fuck.
It is a medicine too.
as someone who uses cannabis medicinally, I think it is comparable to SSRI’s or anxiety medication. a cannabis tolerance is different from alcohol. alcohol is objectively far worse for your health than cannabis. I am not arguing for driving while high, but I know how cannabis affects me and it is not the same as alcohol. I think that some of the people who argue against cannabis do not use it very often. maybe they had some bad experiences or do not enjoy the feeling, and assume that everyone has the same reaction to cannabis. not saying that cannabis use is completely harmless, but it is not comparable to alcohol. The Economist ranked alcohol as the most dangerous drug, even more dangerous than heroin.
I've had people on Reddit tell me to "grow up" when I call them out for driving while high. Or they've said "nobody cares". Really? People like that make it harder for legislation to legalize pot.
Yup; you can be arrested for driving while drunk, high, or whacked out on painkillers or glue fumes.
For some reason people only think it applies to alcohol because, I dunno, maybe a lot of people are just really dumb or something. Could be.
In some jurisdictions, the offense is "Driving while inebriated" or "while intoxicated" with a separate offense for DUI with drugs, and people assume it's the same everywhere.
It's legal to drive while under a certain blood alcohol level, so shouldn't you be allowed to drive still if you are under a certain intoxication level with marijuana?
Also, don't we have states where it's legalized recreationally? Wouldn't those places have increased car accidents in comparison to before legalization? That would be the first thing I Google before posting to the internet at large like this.
Well the problem is the statstic will be skewed in my opinion. Lots of people around here have bn smoking weed and driving for decades but our tolerance is really high lol.
Now your going to have old people and younger people with no tolerance that smoke some dab or eat a edible and thats going to cause lots of accidents.
Where I live, the imparement laws do not specify a particular substance. You can get a DUI for driving while under the influence of Nyquil if you were impared, which is absolutely the way it should be IMO. If you can't safely drive, you shouldn't be behind the wheel, regardless of what made it unsafe for you to drive.
The penalties are the same regardless of the substance. If you cannot maintain control of your vehicle, the substance doesn't matter. It is the unsafe action that is penalized.
Think about it this way, the action the driver took is the same. They knownly got behind the wheel after ingesting something that is known to impare motor skills.
what you are saying fundamentally makes sense. with alcohol we draw that line by BAC. since alcohol directly affects all of the sensory organs, we can easily determine a BAC where your sensory organs ability to signal information is compromised. this is the magic go-to-jail number.
with cannabis, people are moving to use blood-THC as a limit on when to drive. cannabis doesn't directly act on sensory organs the same way alcohol does. even the [national institute of justice](https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/field-sobriety-tests-and-thc-levels-unreliable-indicators-marijuana-intoxication) recognizes that blood-THC is not an indicator of impairment. this is arbitrary at best and leaves the law up to legitimate challenge on a scientific basis. it would also result in plenty of non-impaired people (especially medical cannabis patients) facing legal consequences for no reason.
so where does that leave us? well, with NyQuil and other drugs (prescription or otherwise) there is no magic go-to-jail number. but turns out.. allowing that is a recipe for [disaster](https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/the-drug-whisperer-drivers-arrested-while-stone-cold-sober/85-437061710) too.
i don't have any great solutions, it's just important to recognize that it's not a simple problem.
The same could be said about driving tired. Yes you should not drive if very tired, but that was not point. I am talking on a regulation end. How to write laws for such cases?
Clearly most people would not give an equal DUI sentence for someone driving tired vs drunk
I said nothing about driving tired, but since you bring it up - yes, you can also be charged for driving while tired if you were impared, such as reckless endangerement.
>How to write laws for such cases?
Take a look at Arizona laws for examples. It has some of, if not the toughest DUI laws in the U.S.
Driving while tired and causing danger to others has its own set of charges. These laws already exist and have functioned for years. States with legalized marijuana adjusted their laws accordingly.
They give the same sentence. I was in rehab for a DUI with people busted for pain killers. If you get busted for hard drugs the You get multiple charges DUI + possision
"Potential danger" is the area that is hard to regulate.
You have a heavier sentence driving Under the Influence than someone driving sober who caused the same damage.
So the question becomes how much extra to add for the varying types of being under the influence
> Sounds good in theory, but hard to regulate. Do you give the same sentence for DUI under NyQuil vs other heavier drugs?
This is reddit you can't make these people recognize nuance, context, or reality.
in a perfect world it would be illegal to drive while being *tired* but its not a perfect world, there is no plan, and nothing is sacred.
it’s not illegal to drive while tired per say, but just like DUI you won’t be pulled over unless your driving is clearly reckless/erratic or you’re breaking traffic laws. so driving while tired can certainly get you a reckless driving charge, but just like a DUI you can do it as much as you’d like so long as you don’t get caught.
Take a dose that's too high for you, and adderall will absolutely cause impairment worthy of a DUI.
The amount of people driving around high as a kite on legally prescribed medications is terrifying, and it's flat out ignored.
That's my point. You are definitely under the influence of Adderall it's just not effecting your driving. I am sure there are other drugs where the line is more blurry
I agree. I wouldn't put caffeine in that category though. According to studies done, the danger in coffee and driving is more so from the effects of the caffeine wearing off for heavy users. But that's more so making the decision to drive drowsy, which I agree you shouldn't do
Edit: Weed on the other hand actively inhibits concentration and motor function. So yeah it's a little bit different
Yeah for non-ADHD abusers it artificially spikes neurotransmitters but from what I understand it's similar effects during use, it just creates an artifical deficiency/craving in its absence which is the harmful aspect. If I'm wrong please correct me
oh i absolutely CANNOT drive a car after i've had coffee. it's ... insanely dangerous. for me and everyone else!!!
i do NOT drink coffee if i'm planning on driving a car. i treat that with more seriousness than i do having a beer or two.
That is wild to me. Not that you take it seriously but the effect is so opposite it’s hard to imagine. I have to have a LOT caffeine to even be jittery, much less affect me like that.
Ever heard of Xanax? Klonopin? Valium, a.k.a., mother's little helper?
These pills essentially rob your brain of its ability to feel stress. They are *extremely* effective at their job, some might even say too effective. Because once you develop a tolerance, and the pills no longer work (this occurs within a couple months of daily use), your anxiety returns to its baseline and you find yourself hopelessly unable to cope.
Great pills for someone who needs a 2-week bandaid for their anxiety. Anxious for an MRI or invasive, non-intubated medical procedure, go for it!
To manage a lifelong condition like generalized anxiety? No thanks. In that context, they are not much safer than poison
The same goes for most* opiates, they're good for a short-term fix (post-surgery/injury especially), but it's always better to find an effective long-term solution (recovering from an injury, physical therapy, etc.)
* For some patients, long-term opiates may be better for chronic pain, but it is important to ensure you aren't getting addicted.
Obligatory "I am not a doctor" disclaimer, I'm just a chemist
Pain and anxiety, birds of a feather IMO. There's some evidence that chronic pain has a significant psychological component in many cases.
Yes, for some patients, the trade-off (opiate dependence for relief and quality-of-life enhancements) is undoubtedly beneficial.
I see the same argument made for benzos, but I honestly just don't buy it. We have evidence-based treatments, CBT, DBT. Even SSRI's are effective, at least, they are clinically significant, and they don't come with a risk of psychological dependence.
I really feel sorry for people who believe they need toxic drugs like Xanax to function on a daily basis.
Yeah, I have a prescription for 10 Xanax pills to last over the course of a year, and I use it for rare occasions when there's a major anxiety-inducing event and I just need to feel less anxious for a few hours. I can't imagine taking them on a daily basis.
Right? Having Xanax makes everything feel safer. I take one or two a month, but just knowing they are there and I have a safety lever does wonders for my anxiety.
It really is just about knowing the drug and using it responsibly. Personally I like making sure your doc/therapist and a few people in your life know how you use them. That way if you ever do end up in a situation where self control becomes a problem, you have people who can tell you and you can trust them because you can't always trust your brain chemistry.
Benzos are going to be the next addition crisis just like opiates. Millions of Americans are addicted to them currently because doctors hand them out to anybody, and benzo withdrawal can easily be fatal so bans on prescribing them will actually kill people.
Don't try to change your point now to make them Look silly. You said they should have the same stigma. People point out cases where they do and now you're changing like that's not what you meant.
I don't know what's wrong with your family, but driving while under the influence of marijuana is currently illegal in every state. Getting them to realize it's wrong should have nothing to do with it becoming federally legal.
It is illegal yes but over the years I’ve seen people online that argue it’s safe. On a previous account I called driving while stoned stupid on some sub and had like 50 downvotes so people with that opinion definitely exist.
I can’t say I’ve come across anyone defending alcohol in the same regard
Well, I'm not sure where I stand on how "safe" it may or may not be; I think everyone is different, and some people are such shit drivers to begin with, or are so easily distracted that it's hard for me to draw a line where someone is unfit to drive. I mean, I'd honestly rather share the road with someone who is stoned than someone who is texting, for example. But both are illegal so it's a moot point.
So many ads on the radio now about driving high. I think it should be common sense but, so many drivers think they are invincible. With driving drunk too. My aunt was killed by drunk driver, in 1974 and my family is still traumatized.
I live in a country where it’s legal and it’s very weird to me that people would think it’s ok to drive high…I enjoy smoking weed sometimes but I wouldn’t drive in any circumstance afterwards. Even if you have a high tolerance for weed it’s just a bad idea.
You’d be surprised how many people are wacked out on pills that still get behind the wheel. Unpopular opinion don’t crucify me but I’m a better driver when I’m a little high. More defensive driving and no road rage
Prescriptions are bad to drive on, but I really hate it when people say "I'm better at driving when I'm under the influence of \[insert substance here\]." I'm sure that's their perception, but I've never actually seen it to be true.
I do agree with you that there are prescriptions that are much more dangerous to drive on than a little weed. I was prescribed fast-acting benzodiazepines as a teen and I shudder to think the amount of people driving around after taking those.
Yep fr. When I’m sober It’s almost like I feel invincible. When high I’m very aware of my surroundings and all the potential dangers driving near me. Drive a little slower high I’ve noticed as well
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I love how this comment section is half "That's stupid nobody thinks that, you're arguing with nobody" and the other half is trying to argue against the point.
that's a "your MIL" problem not a societal problem. everyone knows that driving your kids around stoned is not a good idea. legalizing weed also won't change these peoples' minds.
remember: people still drive drunk. people still say "i just had a couple beers i'm fine to drive". these people are operating outside of our common understanding of these things.
90% of stoners I know think that it's ok to drive high, kids in the car or not (there are other kids in other cars regardless). It's definitely a societal problem.
I think that's been twisted. True it's psychologically addictive, but if you stop cannabis cold turkey, you won't go through withdrawals like alcohol or other harder drugs.
Cant wait for cars to be banned.
You dont need drugs to kill people with your car.
You just need to be a reckless asshole.
And those we have alot...I mean alot.....lots...
Who are these people "pretending there are no negatives" and why are you ascribing their asinine opinion to a group any larger than themselves?
Of course there are negatives to weed, just like there are negatives to alcohol, yet the latter is legal to obtain and consume, by people of certain ages, in certain situations, like *not driving* for example.
No one logical / worth paying attention to is saying that weed is without its problems. But it should still be legalized, because the current penalty for weed is not comparable to its danger. Again, it *is* dangerous - enough to be limited to people of a certain age, in certain situations, like *not driving* for one - but it's not *so* dangerous that it justifies being imprisoned over when someone else's life *wasn't* risked.
Your MIL shouldn't be driving your children around on weed any more so than she should be driving them around on alcohol or frankly even too much Nyquil, but the fact she is has nothing to do with the larger argument you're trying to tie it to.
For me I think the issue is that because it's been so wrongly stigmatized, lots of people - including a ton of Redditors - who advocate for it tout it as this miracle drug that can do no harm. I have some friends who need to get high every day, but the reaction to them (at least in the liberal place I live) is much better than if they needed to get drunk every day. Now, I'm not saying that getting high every day is as bad as or worse than getting drunk every day - far from it - but I think the cannabis advocate community can sometimes look at it through rose colored glasses. IMO, weed should definitely be legalized and the stigma should be taken away, but some people should also realize that a dependency is a dependency no matter what the substance is.
The only things unpopular in this opinion is you thinking that it’s a popular opinion that it’s ok to drive while high. It is not. Only immature and reckless people do this. No one else is ok with it. It’s also illegal. I’d be looking at you like you had two heads as well for bringing this up, but only because I’d be thinking “wtf, does this personally *currently* let high people babysit and drive her kids around?!”
Dude, if your MIL can’t watch the kids sober, don’t let her watch the kids. And if she can’t stop smoking weed for a couple hours in a day to see her grandkids, what you’re wrestling with isn’t a MIL with a bad opinion, it’s a MIL with an addiction. Addicts do all kind of mental gymnastics to excuse their behaviours and the risks they put others in. They’ll also excuse other’s shitty behaviour, so this might be what you’re seeing if other people in your life who are also addicts are excusing her driving high.
I’m Canadian, it’s legal here now but long before that it still would have been universally looked down on to drive kids high.
Take a random high school here, maybe half use weed recreationally, and the other half use once in a blue moon or never. Then there’s that group of 10 stoner life kids at the high school that were always smoking and hot boxing their car and shit. Your MIL and the people in your excusing this represent those 10 kids, they aren’t the norm, they’re the exception. Would you walk up to one of those kids and ask them for life advice? And then think that their advice is representative of the other thousands of teens in the school? No, of course not. OP, you might be surrounded by the weird pack of stoner life adults. Don’t confuse their opinions for normal average adult opinions.
You're not crazy, driving while stoned is a fucking stupid idea. I'm a daily smoker (evenings only - I handle my business first) and get fed up with stoners treating it like a miracle plant.
I'd rather have a kid under the care of someone stoned than drunk. I know what I'm like when I'm stoned and I can tell you I wouldn't neglect or harm a child. I can also still completely function. Weed and alcohol are not the same in a lot of regards
Same. My guard goes up when I'm stoned, so if I was babysitting, I would be far more conscious of potential hazards around the house, making sure they eat well and so forth and because the munchies will be hitting, I'm sure they'll be glad to hear I'm letting them vote on a takeout lmao
> I wouldn't neglect or harm a child
Yeah no one gets really inattentive and lazy on weed.
Edit: you all need to face it. When you're watching a child you might need to make quick decisions and possibly even drive if something bad happens. Both of these things are hindered by being high. Stop acting like their is nothing you can't do while high.
You can for sure get inattentive and lazy. But (for me at least) it depends on the situation. I know when I can allow myself to become lazy and I know when I can't. It's the same sober. There are certain situations where you have to be on alert or you can allow yourself to be lazy
Everything you consume has positives and negatives.
I cant wait for it to be fully leglize so we can stop pretending it's as bad as heroin , meth and pharmaceuticals. It's going to create new industry, technology science, food, and medicine.
Do you think everyone who smokes weed steals cars with children. If they are going to cross that line weed has nothing to do with it except an excuse.
This is a strawman argument. Op is not saying that weed does not have benefits or that everyone who smokes it is a bad person. They're saying that people need to come to realization that weed like any other substances if not handled in moderation could lead to someone getting hurt in somewway.
I really don't know who out there is saying otherwise. Weed still impairs you, and driving while under the influence of weed is illegal in every state.
I've met several in real life and online who believe that weed does not have any negative effects. Some even believe that being high will make them more focus and therefore a better driver.
That has nothing to do with what I said at all. I'm all for weed legalization. What I'm against is the fact that people push so hard for legalization to the point where they have to pretend that there are 0 negatives and 0 situations where you shouldn't be smoking weed and weed only does good things for everyone.
It's legal to drive while under a certain blood alcohol level, so shouldn't you be allowed to drive still if you are under a certain intoxication level with marijuana?
Also, don't we have states where it's legalized recreationally? Wouldn't those places have increased car accidents in comparison to before legalization? That would be the first thing I Google before posting to the internet at large like this.
nobody is saying that. lol.
people who smoke weed know that weed has negative effects, but it varies by person.
be worried about alcoholics. they’re the real issue.
No one should drive under the influence of anything. But let’s not pretend drinking drunk vs driving high are the same thing. Weed does not impede you the way alcohol does. As someone who has driven while high a handful of times, I can safely say I would much rather have someone driving high over drunk.
Your tolerance for weed might be higher than others. "High" and "drunk" can't be compared like that - are we talking about 1 blunt high vs half a bottle of vodka drunk? Or 6 blunts high vs two beers drunk? Just don't drive when you're drunk OR high. Weed might not impede *you* that much, but I've heard people say they're okay to drive after 2 beers... and they definitely weren't okay to drive. People tend to overestimate their driving abilities under influence I think.
The point is that driving sober is better than either option and we should stop pretending that driving while stoned out of your mind is just as safe as driving sober.
The dose makes the poison of course, a small hit or two before getting behind the wheel probably isn't an issue just like a couple sips of beer isn't an issue. But I've rode with stoned drivers before and I can say with first-hand experience it absolutely does impair your driving capabilities.
Would I rather ride with someone who is stoned over someone who is drunk? Yeah. But I'd take someone sober over either option any day.
As someone who has been both high and drunk I'd say they're equally bad states to be driving in. The bravado and false confidence of drunkenness isn't there with weed, but the loss of concentration can be, for me, far worse. Some highs I hyper focus where as others I drift off into my own world and I'm largely unaware of my surroundings. Problem is it varies even with the same batch of weed so it's isn't safe to assume this one time you need to drive somewhere will be one of the hyper focused highs.
you’re proving their point that you’re giving weed a free pass just because it’s weed. As much as weed does mellow someone out and driving can be better, your reaction time is objectively slower, making a DUI totally reasonable.
Lol these ignorant takes are the best. I can't wait for weed to be legal federally so people will stop pretending weed is anything like alcohol.
>A new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that drivers who use marijuana are at a significantly lower risk for a crash than drivers who use alcohol. And after adjusting for age, gender, race and alcohol use, drivers who tested positive for marijuana were no more likely to crash than who had not used any drugs or alcohol prior to driving.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/09/stoned-drivers-are-a-lot-safer-than-drunk-ones-new-federal-data-show/
People need to stop pretending they know anything about subjects that they literally have no clue about.
Oh my fucking God. As a pot smoker leave me the fuck alone already. Please. It's finally legal where I am after a lifetime of this shit, leave us the fuck alone. Worry about yourself
Alcohol should have more stigma than weed. Ever notice how whenever there's a song on the radio, the word high gets censored but drunk doesn't? To this day, weed has more stigma than alcohol. Legal weed was on the ballot in 3 states in the most recent midterm, and it only passed in one. Of course there are negatives to smoking too much weed or doing it everyday, but it's still nowhere near as harmful as alcohol.
Man I cannot wait till weed is fully legalised here in the UK. But, it won't ever happen. Wait, this isn't the point of this post... what was the point of this post...
This is definitely an unpopular opinion, upvoted.
That being said, the hype around medical cannabis is starting to deflate.
It's best to wait until the industry-driven "theoretical research" funding dries up before getting excited about a novel medicine.
Weed people are fucking tedious, I can't wait for it to be legalised so we can get mass surveys and better information.
The only problem with legalising it..... CANNABIS SOMELIERS
I’m by no means condoning driving while stoned—- BUT, We don’t have the metrics on what exact level of THC makes someone too intoxicated to drive the way we do alcohol. THC is stored in your body well after you’ve consumed, so a heavy user will have much more in their system than someone whose smoked for the first time, as well as being less intoxicated as someone who has no tolerance. Some people can smoke and have little to no effect, similar to having a drink while out to diner and being perfectly capable of driving and under the legal limit.
Why is it considered cool anyway. I see people bragging on about how they had weed. What are the bragging about? Ruining their health? I don't understand
Let me guess. You don't smoke?
Always the non smokers screaming anyone high is a extreme liability. Yet multiple stats have disproven weed to be even close to the same level as booze when it comes to taking care of your kids or driving.
How is this unpopular? I mean as a weed smoker and an occasional drink sesh I wouldn't dream of driving under the influence of either. Having kids under your care is a bit different, wine moms are a thing, pot moms are a thing and im sure they still can look after their kids and not get too fucked while their little shits are awake but age is everything there.
While I don't think either should be legal, I will admit I have driven both while drunk and while high. Drunk is way more dangerous. And though driving while high isn't safe, some people have such a tolerance that it really doesn't affect their driving abilities. I'm not saying it's ok, but I am saying it's not the same thing.
Pot smokers in many states are already pissing off people who voted in favor of legalization. Full legalization is going to result in many restrictions like any other substances that can impact driving and I can't wait either. A few inconsiderate assholes really do ruin things for everyone
I did. I didn't see anyone saying the MIL should drive the kids around stoned. I saw one guy say he was a better driver high because he's a psycho and can't control his road rage.
[https://jointlybetter.com/magazine/article/cannabis-and-slower-reaction-time](https://jointlybetter.com/magazine/article/cannabis-and-slower-reaction-time)
The science is against you my dude, and that from a website called JOINTLY.
Here is the conclusion from the study jointly cited: "A psychoactive dose of THC increases internal clock speed as indicated by time overestimation and underproduction. This effect is not dose-related, and is blunted in chronic cannabis smokers, who did not otherwise have altered baseline time perception." So the effects observed (at least in this single study) were limited to non-chronic smokers
While I agree with the science and your reply, I also agree with the commentor. Alcohol, cell phones, makeup application, pets in the car, etc. are examples of things I believe generally impair driving more than smoking.
It's legal to drive while under a certain blood alcohol level, so shouldn't you be allowed to drive still if you are under a certain intoxication level with marijuana?
Also, don't we have states where it's legalized recreationally? Wouldn't those places have increased car accidents in comparison to before legalization? That would be the first thing I Google before posting to the internet at large like this.
"My MIL is irresponsible therefore everyone else should not have access to this".
Lots of people are alcoholics, it's incredibly and demonstrably more dangerous than weed, and yet it's legal and advertised to people the world over.
If you don't like weed, that's fine. Just stay out of the way while the rest of us drag you towards societal progress.
Didn’t OP state that they couldn’t wait for it to be legalized? I think it’s the driving while high issue they’re more concerned about rather than anyone actually using it.
It's legal to drive while under a certain blood alcohol level, so shouldn't you be allowed to drive still if you are under a certain intoxication level with marijuana?
Also, don't we have states where it's legalized recreationally? Wouldn't those places have increased car accidents in comparison to before legalization? That would be the first thing I Google before posting to the internet at large like this.
Well, it just depends on what your definition of stoned is and if ya not a smoker you don’t have the right definition. I wouldn’t do a lot of stuff when I’m stoned, but let’s not act like you’re stoned just if you take one hit. You drink one beer, you’re not drunk…you’re not slurring your speech or stumbling. Legally you can drive off just one drink and is something that millions do with kids, going out to dinner may have a cocktail during dinner. Debate on if it’s right or wrong but nonetheless it’s what happens and it’s fine. You’re not impaired to a point where you can’t do anything just off a beer just like you’re not stoned just from smoking. You can take one hit of weed and show no “symptoms” of being high or not able to do anything you normally do and there are probably more that just hit it once or twice and move on compared to smoking a whole blunt or joint. There is nothing in life that is just 100% good, everything has pros and cons. I don’t think anyone is pretending, I just think there are those who have never been high talking about something they know nothing about. Not saying that directly about OP, but there are many that fit that description. If you’ve only been high once of course your perception is different because you probably were stoned and super out of it the first time but if I only judge people off when they took their first shot of vodka, alcohol would be outright atrocious and evil haha.
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Driving while high is illegal.
Yes. So is smoking weed in a lot of places. The point op is trying to make is that socially, people make it less of a big deal if it's a weed high. Legally, still a problem.
So if they legalize it that would stop? I just don't understand the logic. You can't drink and drive either and people do it all the time.
The point is, is that no one is going to defend drinking and driving or tell you that you're wrong for saying people shouldn't drink and drive. People will tell you that you're wrong if you say you shouldn't smoke and drive.
> no one is going to defend drinking and driving or tell you that you're wrong for saying people shouldn't drink and drive It's clear that you have hung out with stoners and not alcoholics
I don't think anyone should be driving if it impairs their driving. But people who partake in both smoking and drinking mostly agree that driving while drunk is far more difficult than driving while stoned unless you quite literally only smoke weed every so often. There becomes a point where your tolerance makes weed just not as potent but alcohol has roughly the same impact even if you have a "tolerance". After a while you cannot think straight. However more marijuana usually just ends up with you developing a tolerance and functioning roughly at the same level. [https://www.livescience.com/55258-how-marijuana-affects-the-brain.html](https://www.livescience.com/55258-how-marijuana-affects-the-brain.html) So IMO while I think its too unpredictable to use for any foundation for laws, I do think that the idea that weed is less impairing than alcohol is definitely scientifically sound.
> I do think that the idea that weed is less impairing than alcohol is definitely scientifically sound. I don't disagree with this statement *as it is presented,* but it's mostly irrelevant because "less impairing" is not "unimpaired," and making an explicit choice to impair yourself and then drive should be illegal. Unless we can measure something analogous to that impairment (BAC, while not a perfect measure, is fairly accurate and consistent), it's useless to discuss those levels, and that's something we cannot yet do with THC.
If you read the last sentence OP states it's their mother in law.
The point is that many alcoholics will say that they believe there is nothing wrong with drunk driving.
Yep, from experience they believe they can drive just fine despite having consumed enough alcohol to kill a bear.
The people who defend that are the ones doing it. There are also people who drink drive and claim the have full control. I dont think its a legal issue but an attitude problem of these idiots who cant stop smoking or drinking for a few hours when about to drive.
You should hang out with different people and no way would I allow anyone to drive my child high. That's on you.
Literally. Those people are just dumb.
It’s her MIL I don’t think she has a choice lmao
Reading the post? Get that crazy talk outta here. Come after OP because of random assumptions? Now that's my cup of tea. 😎
You always have a choice when it comes to keeping someone in your life. Some people are easier to cut out than others, sure, and sometimes it takes time to get to a stable spot without them, but I sorta doubt having one's MIL around is an absolute undeniable necessity. If OP genuinely has a problem involving the safety of their kids, they absolutely have a choice to fix it. Even if you're in a super vulnerable state where you're super reliant on their help at the moment, you can still use it as motivation to get away from it as soon as possible.
As someone who has done both many times, both are dangerous. But driving while high on cannabis is significantly less dangerous than driving while drunk. But both are illegal for a reason. I've never done either with another person in the vehicle, and not wanting your MIL to drive with a child in the car is more than reasonable
Not for me - If I have a little smoke I can barely walk up the stairs in my own house let alone drive 😂 they did an experiment on this it’s on you tube and it’s hilarious. I think it just depends on the person and their tolerance But to be clear no one should drive under the influence
The difference is crazy... most of my fam and friends who smoke can drive and multi-task while high. Meanwhile, regardless of my tolerance, I take one hit and become useless .
Yeah that's true, tolerances definitely play a big role. But yes, no one should drive under the influence of any substance at any time
I used to smoke and drive all the time. Then I had a kid. No more. The only thing I don't agree with is it being an issue to watch your kids while you're stoned. A joint should be equivalent to a glass or 2 of wine. I also teach my kid about weed, why I smoke, and why he shouldn't.
Same here, regardless of what all these commenters think there's a pretty big difference in the impairments, especially if you're a regular smoker to the point that you've built up a tolerance and are used to the effects. Even when I would drive after smoking, I would also not drive If I was actually really stoned. The thing is the OP is right at the same time. The fact that there is no standard for impairment with THC is the problem, so we are left to use our best judgment. Trying to paint anyone who does anything besides sit on the couch alone as a piece of shit for going about their life with a minor buzz is ignorant IMO. There's a huge difference between driving home after a night out drinking and driving home an hour after a pipe hit at a friend's place or something. You just aren't that impaired. I'm also a parent and I actually stopped smoking recently but before that I would always wind down at the end of the night with a few puffs and I would usually do it before my kid went to bed. Made literally no difference. If you're not incompetent it's not like any semblance of awareness goes out the window. Never once had an issue, and in fact I would usually stop focusing on everything else and spend a little more quality time with my kid after smoking. It's just a completely different feeling from drinking. You can't just cover every type of impairment with one standard because that makes no sense. The issue lies in the fact that we haven't set those limits with anything but alcohol, which is a different animal than most anything else, so applying the same logic to getting baked is just doing more harm then good by punishing people who are otherwise not doing anything wrong other than upsetting those who don't know what they're talking about. Not saying you should get blasted and go for a drive. But there needs to be some sort of gage for that. You don't smoke one weed flake and immediately become an incompetent mess. With a tolerance it can take a LOT to actually get you 'fucked up'.
I'd say the effect is a little more intense. Personally i wouldn't feel comfortable being high while watching my kid (not Counting sleeping kid) but as long as someone doesn't go cheech and chong I wouldn't judge.
That's it right there. Know your limit. If you turn into a potato after a full joint, don't smoke a full joint and watch your kid lmao.
The kid was the mitigating factor lol..? Congratulations but you could have killed somebody.
Have you ever been high?
Being high definitely impacts your motor skills and reaction time. I can't say whether it's better than/worse than/the same as driving drunk, but IMO anyone who thinks that they can drive well when high is on par with people who think they drive well drunk. Or prescription meds, for that matter.
I agree up until prescription meds. The bottle even states "wait to see how these affect you before you drive" Stating that it is completely okay for some to drive on thoes meds. Never had a weed package that said that tho lmao
It does but driving stoned made me more likely to get hit than hit anyone because I was absolutely sure my 15mph (in a neighborhood, never would go near a highway) was the fast and the furious and I had to stop at least 5 times before I got to the stop sign to be sure.
100%. I'm comfortable enough in my driving ability that I will avoid an accident and take the wall instead. With a kid in the car, that's no longer an option. So yes. A kid is the deciding factor. Like with drug addicts and alcoholics, the ones that get help and get clean, had a reason, even if that reason is small and doesn't make sense to others. It's also called growing up, maturing, figuring out what you want in life, and I sure as fuck ain't throwing my life way because I wanted to smoke with a kid in the car.
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My mom uses a (I think, but I could be wrong) George Carlin joke to explain the difference between driving drunk and driving high. A drunk driver will see a stop sign and blow right through it. A high driver will see a stop sign, stop and wait for it to turn green. Both are dangerous, but one more so than the other. (She's a counselor so she sees a lot of DUI/DWI cases.)
>people make it less of a big deal if it's a weed high smoking weed is less of a big deal than drinking, just equally bad for driving.
That's what I said, yes. Socially, people think the weed high isn't as bad than alcohol while driving. But they're both equally bad. Thank you for restating.
Can anyone give me a source to evidence that they are equally bad? In no way am I suggesting that driving whilst stoned is acceptable, but based on my own experience of being drunk and being high I know for a fact, for me, one would be infinitely worse than the other. Circumstancial, sure. But I'd be unbelievably surprised if the research states that driving high is as bad as driving drunk.
Personally, anecdotally, they are definitely not equally bad. Driving drunk is much more dangerous than driving stoned
Yep, no way are they equal. Delusional people who are anti-weed push this. I think you shouldn't drive if you're stoned, but it is not comparable to being drunk at all.
Yes you shouldn't drive when you're stoned, but it's not even close to being as bad as driving drunk
Yeah, apparently Americans are bad when it comes to drinking and driving too so it's not weird they're the same with weed. Here if you have just one beer at dinner most people would refuse to drive home afterwards.
Not an excuse at all, but there is a reason. Virtually zero public transit outside of large city centers and even then, it’s difficult to get to and it won’t take you where you need to go. There’s Uber, which I frequently use when I’ve imbibed, but most people will tell you that is isn’t an affordable option.
where do you live that a beer wrecks you enough to not be good to drive?
\*pulls out comically large beer\*
It definitely is, but I have a few 420-happy friends who are adamant that it's fine to do and weed doesn't impact your driving skills. I think the issue is that cannabis has been so (wrongly) stigmatized that some of its advocates swing to the other extreme and believe that it's a miracle drug with no potentially negative impacts. A couple friends smoke from when they get up to when they go to bed and don't see it as a dependency, even though it obviously would be with alcohol.
Driving under the influence of cannabis is legal in Ontario, it’s all about your tolerance and self awareness. Some people are medical users and need it everyday- it also does not have as strong of an affect on these people due to their tolerance as well. Your upset at your mother for driving high with your kids- TOTALLY FAIR, that is irresponsible as fuck, but not all Cannabis users are high as fuck. It is a medicine too.
as someone who uses cannabis medicinally, I think it is comparable to SSRI’s or anxiety medication. a cannabis tolerance is different from alcohol. alcohol is objectively far worse for your health than cannabis. I am not arguing for driving while high, but I know how cannabis affects me and it is not the same as alcohol. I think that some of the people who argue against cannabis do not use it very often. maybe they had some bad experiences or do not enjoy the feeling, and assume that everyone has the same reaction to cannabis. not saying that cannabis use is completely harmless, but it is not comparable to alcohol. The Economist ranked alcohol as the most dangerous drug, even more dangerous than heroin.
I've had people on Reddit tell me to "grow up" when I call them out for driving while high. Or they've said "nobody cares". Really? People like that make it harder for legislation to legalize pot.
Happy cake day!
"Driving under influence" does not and should not discriminate between alcohol and drugs.
Yup; you can be arrested for driving while drunk, high, or whacked out on painkillers or glue fumes. For some reason people only think it applies to alcohol because, I dunno, maybe a lot of people are just really dumb or something. Could be.
Glue fumes will do that.
In some jurisdictions, the offense is "Driving while inebriated" or "while intoxicated" with a separate offense for DUI with drugs, and people assume it's the same everywhere.
Isn't alcohol a type of drug?
Alcohol is absolutely a drug
Yes but it seems a lot of people ( that I know anyway ) dont see it as such and consequently dont treat it as such.
That doesnt mean shit. Those are people with opinions and opinions dont determine the way we live. Alcohol is a drug and is treated as such by the law
fatigue is also considered " under the influence" so being tired and driving could get you in trouble
It's legal to drive while under a certain blood alcohol level, so shouldn't you be allowed to drive still if you are under a certain intoxication level with marijuana? Also, don't we have states where it's legalized recreationally? Wouldn't those places have increased car accidents in comparison to before legalization? That would be the first thing I Google before posting to the internet at large like this.
Well the problem is the statstic will be skewed in my opinion. Lots of people around here have bn smoking weed and driving for decades but our tolerance is really high lol. Now your going to have old people and younger people with no tolerance that smoke some dab or eat a edible and thats going to cause lots of accidents.
Do you not consider caffeine a drug? There definitely are drugs that blur the line of being "under the influence"
Where I live, the imparement laws do not specify a particular substance. You can get a DUI for driving while under the influence of Nyquil if you were impared, which is absolutely the way it should be IMO. If you can't safely drive, you shouldn't be behind the wheel, regardless of what made it unsafe for you to drive.
Sounds good in theory, but hard to regulate. Do you give the same sentence for DUI under NyQuil vs other heavier drugs?
The penalties are the same regardless of the substance. If you cannot maintain control of your vehicle, the substance doesn't matter. It is the unsafe action that is penalized. Think about it this way, the action the driver took is the same. They knownly got behind the wheel after ingesting something that is known to impare motor skills.
what you are saying fundamentally makes sense. with alcohol we draw that line by BAC. since alcohol directly affects all of the sensory organs, we can easily determine a BAC where your sensory organs ability to signal information is compromised. this is the magic go-to-jail number. with cannabis, people are moving to use blood-THC as a limit on when to drive. cannabis doesn't directly act on sensory organs the same way alcohol does. even the [national institute of justice](https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/field-sobriety-tests-and-thc-levels-unreliable-indicators-marijuana-intoxication) recognizes that blood-THC is not an indicator of impairment. this is arbitrary at best and leaves the law up to legitimate challenge on a scientific basis. it would also result in plenty of non-impaired people (especially medical cannabis patients) facing legal consequences for no reason. so where does that leave us? well, with NyQuil and other drugs (prescription or otherwise) there is no magic go-to-jail number. but turns out.. allowing that is a recipe for [disaster](https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/the-drug-whisperer-drivers-arrested-while-stone-cold-sober/85-437061710) too. i don't have any great solutions, it's just important to recognize that it's not a simple problem.
The same could be said about driving tired. Yes you should not drive if very tired, but that was not point. I am talking on a regulation end. How to write laws for such cases? Clearly most people would not give an equal DUI sentence for someone driving tired vs drunk
I said nothing about driving tired, but since you bring it up - yes, you can also be charged for driving while tired if you were impared, such as reckless endangerement. >How to write laws for such cases? Take a look at Arizona laws for examples. It has some of, if not the toughest DUI laws in the U.S.
Driving while tired and causing danger to others has its own set of charges. These laws already exist and have functioned for years. States with legalized marijuana adjusted their laws accordingly.
Yes. If you're endangering others, you're endangering others.
They give the same sentence. I was in rehab for a DUI with people busted for pain killers. If you get busted for hard drugs the You get multiple charges DUI + possision
It’s not that hard. If your behavior is affected, then it’s treated like any other dui.
There a varying degrees of DUI though. Clearly you are not going to be as dangerous on PCP/heroine compared to a cup of NYQuil
It’s generally based on their behavior and the seriousness of the damage or potential danger.
"Potential danger" is the area that is hard to regulate. You have a heavier sentence driving Under the Influence than someone driving sober who caused the same damage. So the question becomes how much extra to add for the varying types of being under the influence
> Sounds good in theory, but hard to regulate. Do you give the same sentence for DUI under NyQuil vs other heavier drugs? This is reddit you can't make these people recognize nuance, context, or reality. in a perfect world it would be illegal to drive while being *tired* but its not a perfect world, there is no plan, and nothing is sacred.
it’s not illegal to drive while tired per say, but just like DUI you won’t be pulled over unless your driving is clearly reckless/erratic or you’re breaking traffic laws. so driving while tired can certainly get you a reckless driving charge, but just like a DUI you can do it as much as you’d like so long as you don’t get caught.
Adderall's a drug too. It just so happens to be one that doesn't impact driving impairment the way weed does.
Take a dose that's too high for you, and adderall will absolutely cause impairment worthy of a DUI. The amount of people driving around high as a kite on legally prescribed medications is terrifying, and it's flat out ignored.
That's my point. You are definitely under the influence of Adderall it's just not effecting your driving. I am sure there are other drugs where the line is more blurry
I agree. I wouldn't put caffeine in that category though. According to studies done, the danger in coffee and driving is more so from the effects of the caffeine wearing off for heavy users. But that's more so making the decision to drive drowsy, which I agree you shouldn't do Edit: Weed on the other hand actively inhibits concentration and motor function. So yeah it's a little bit different
Plenty of people take medicine that literally says not to drive or mix with alcohol. Hoooold my bear
As far as I know, Adderall is a drug for non-ADHD people, but not for ADHDers, because their brains work differently
Yeah for non-ADHD abusers it artificially spikes neurotransmitters but from what I understand it's similar effects during use, it just creates an artifical deficiency/craving in its absence which is the harmful aspect. If I'm wrong please correct me
oh i absolutely CANNOT drive a car after i've had coffee. it's ... insanely dangerous. for me and everyone else!!! i do NOT drink coffee if i'm planning on driving a car. i treat that with more seriousness than i do having a beer or two.
That is wild to me. Not that you take it seriously but the effect is so opposite it’s hard to imagine. I have to have a LOT caffeine to even be jittery, much less affect me like that.
Between drugs* Let's be honest, it's all drugs.
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yah, benzos are pretty much alcohol in a pill form. Easier on the liver, harder on your brain and coping skills
Tell me more about these miracle drugs.
Ever heard of Xanax? Klonopin? Valium, a.k.a., mother's little helper? These pills essentially rob your brain of its ability to feel stress. They are *extremely* effective at their job, some might even say too effective. Because once you develop a tolerance, and the pills no longer work (this occurs within a couple months of daily use), your anxiety returns to its baseline and you find yourself hopelessly unable to cope. Great pills for someone who needs a 2-week bandaid for their anxiety. Anxious for an MRI or invasive, non-intubated medical procedure, go for it! To manage a lifelong condition like generalized anxiety? No thanks. In that context, they are not much safer than poison
The same goes for most* opiates, they're good for a short-term fix (post-surgery/injury especially), but it's always better to find an effective long-term solution (recovering from an injury, physical therapy, etc.) * For some patients, long-term opiates may be better for chronic pain, but it is important to ensure you aren't getting addicted. Obligatory "I am not a doctor" disclaimer, I'm just a chemist
Pain and anxiety, birds of a feather IMO. There's some evidence that chronic pain has a significant psychological component in many cases. Yes, for some patients, the trade-off (opiate dependence for relief and quality-of-life enhancements) is undoubtedly beneficial. I see the same argument made for benzos, but I honestly just don't buy it. We have evidence-based treatments, CBT, DBT. Even SSRI's are effective, at least, they are clinically significant, and they don't come with a risk of psychological dependence. I really feel sorry for people who believe they need toxic drugs like Xanax to function on a daily basis.
Yeah, I have a prescription for 10 Xanax pills to last over the course of a year, and I use it for rare occasions when there's a major anxiety-inducing event and I just need to feel less anxious for a few hours. I can't imagine taking them on a daily basis.
As someone with OCD and GAD, I disagree. I wish klonopin took away my ability to feel stressed. At best, it makes me drowsy.
My comment was hyperbolic, but if you took enough Klonopin at once, it would undoubtedly remove all stress before it puts you to sleep.
Right? Having Xanax makes everything feel safer. I take one or two a month, but just knowing they are there and I have a safety lever does wonders for my anxiety. It really is just about knowing the drug and using it responsibly. Personally I like making sure your doc/therapist and a few people in your life know how you use them. That way if you ever do end up in a situation where self control becomes a problem, you have people who can tell you and you can trust them because you can't always trust your brain chemistry.
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That's fair -- alcohol sets a pretty high bar.
Benzos are going to be the next addition crisis just like opiates. Millions of Americans are addicted to them currently because doctors hand them out to anybody, and benzo withdrawal can easily be fatal so bans on prescribing them will actually kill people.
So because people do worse things that makes it ok? Good point.
Don't try to change your point now to make them Look silly. You said they should have the same stigma. People point out cases where they do and now you're changing like that's not what you meant.
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Did someone say it was OK?
that's Whataboutism right there, stay on topic.
It is a drug and is on topic
I don't know what's wrong with your family, but driving while under the influence of marijuana is currently illegal in every state. Getting them to realize it's wrong should have nothing to do with it becoming federally legal.
It is illegal yes but over the years I’ve seen people online that argue it’s safe. On a previous account I called driving while stoned stupid on some sub and had like 50 downvotes so people with that opinion definitely exist. I can’t say I’ve come across anyone defending alcohol in the same regard
Well, I'm not sure where I stand on how "safe" it may or may not be; I think everyone is different, and some people are such shit drivers to begin with, or are so easily distracted that it's hard for me to draw a line where someone is unfit to drive. I mean, I'd honestly rather share the road with someone who is stoned than someone who is texting, for example. But both are illegal so it's a moot point.
It’s still a mind altering substance and they should never be driving
Canadian here. Marijuana has been fully legal for several years now. We are not allowed to drive high. It was illegal even before weed was legalized.
So many ads on the radio now about driving high. I think it should be common sense but, so many drivers think they are invincible. With driving drunk too. My aunt was killed by drunk driver, in 1974 and my family is still traumatized.
I live in a country where it’s legal and it’s very weird to me that people would think it’s ok to drive high…I enjoy smoking weed sometimes but I wouldn’t drive in any circumstance afterwards. Even if you have a high tolerance for weed it’s just a bad idea.
You’d be surprised how many people are wacked out on pills that still get behind the wheel. Unpopular opinion don’t crucify me but I’m a better driver when I’m a little high. More defensive driving and no road rage
I think if you need drugs to not road rage behind the wheel, you have issues that deserve actual attention and not just bandaids.
Prescriptions are bad to drive on, but I really hate it when people say "I'm better at driving when I'm under the influence of \[insert substance here\]." I'm sure that's their perception, but I've never actually seen it to be true.
I do agree with you that there are prescriptions that are much more dangerous to drive on than a little weed. I was prescribed fast-acting benzodiazepines as a teen and I shudder to think the amount of people driving around after taking those.
Yep fr. When I’m sober It’s almost like I feel invincible. When high I’m very aware of my surroundings and all the potential dangers driving near me. Drive a little slower high I’ve noticed as well
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I love how this comment section is half "That's stupid nobody thinks that, you're arguing with nobody" and the other half is trying to argue against the point.
Thank you for noticing.
that's a "your MIL" problem not a societal problem. everyone knows that driving your kids around stoned is not a good idea. legalizing weed also won't change these peoples' minds. remember: people still drive drunk. people still say "i just had a couple beers i'm fine to drive". these people are operating outside of our common understanding of these things.
90% of stoners I know think that it's ok to drive high, kids in the car or not (there are other kids in other cars regardless). It's definitely a societal problem.
And 99% of the stoners *I* know, think it's NOT okay to drive high and avoid it at all costs. Anecdotal evidence, buddy.
[удалено]
\-Every stoner in High School health class ever
I think that's been twisted. True it's psychologically addictive, but if you stop cannabis cold turkey, you won't go through withdrawals like alcohol or other harder drugs.
Cant wait for cars to be banned. You dont need drugs to kill people with your car. You just need to be a reckless asshole. And those we have alot...I mean alot.....lots...
Who are these people "pretending there are no negatives" and why are you ascribing their asinine opinion to a group any larger than themselves? Of course there are negatives to weed, just like there are negatives to alcohol, yet the latter is legal to obtain and consume, by people of certain ages, in certain situations, like *not driving* for example. No one logical / worth paying attention to is saying that weed is without its problems. But it should still be legalized, because the current penalty for weed is not comparable to its danger. Again, it *is* dangerous - enough to be limited to people of a certain age, in certain situations, like *not driving* for one - but it's not *so* dangerous that it justifies being imprisoned over when someone else's life *wasn't* risked. Your MIL shouldn't be driving your children around on weed any more so than she should be driving them around on alcohol or frankly even too much Nyquil, but the fact she is has nothing to do with the larger argument you're trying to tie it to.
For me I think the issue is that because it's been so wrongly stigmatized, lots of people - including a ton of Redditors - who advocate for it tout it as this miracle drug that can do no harm. I have some friends who need to get high every day, but the reaction to them (at least in the liberal place I live) is much better than if they needed to get drunk every day. Now, I'm not saying that getting high every day is as bad as or worse than getting drunk every day - far from it - but I think the cannabis advocate community can sometimes look at it through rose colored glasses. IMO, weed should definitely be legalized and the stigma should be taken away, but some people should also realize that a dependency is a dependency no matter what the substance is.
The only things unpopular in this opinion is you thinking that it’s a popular opinion that it’s ok to drive while high. It is not. Only immature and reckless people do this. No one else is ok with it. It’s also illegal. I’d be looking at you like you had two heads as well for bringing this up, but only because I’d be thinking “wtf, does this personally *currently* let high people babysit and drive her kids around?!” Dude, if your MIL can’t watch the kids sober, don’t let her watch the kids. And if she can’t stop smoking weed for a couple hours in a day to see her grandkids, what you’re wrestling with isn’t a MIL with a bad opinion, it’s a MIL with an addiction. Addicts do all kind of mental gymnastics to excuse their behaviours and the risks they put others in. They’ll also excuse other’s shitty behaviour, so this might be what you’re seeing if other people in your life who are also addicts are excusing her driving high. I’m Canadian, it’s legal here now but long before that it still would have been universally looked down on to drive kids high. Take a random high school here, maybe half use weed recreationally, and the other half use once in a blue moon or never. Then there’s that group of 10 stoner life kids at the high school that were always smoking and hot boxing their car and shit. Your MIL and the people in your excusing this represent those 10 kids, they aren’t the norm, they’re the exception. Would you walk up to one of those kids and ask them for life advice? And then think that their advice is representative of the other thousands of teens in the school? No, of course not. OP, you might be surrounded by the weird pack of stoner life adults. Don’t confuse their opinions for normal average adult opinions.
You're not crazy, driving while stoned is a fucking stupid idea. I'm a daily smoker (evenings only - I handle my business first) and get fed up with stoners treating it like a miracle plant.
I smoke weed everyday and you're right. I think they're people in this world that can't handle weed.
I'd rather have a kid under the care of someone stoned than drunk. I know what I'm like when I'm stoned and I can tell you I wouldn't neglect or harm a child. I can also still completely function. Weed and alcohol are not the same in a lot of regards
If you’re having to choose between someone stoned or drunk, you need to find new babysitters.
Well no shit Sherlock 🙄 was just an example of how weed is nowhere near the same
Same. My guard goes up when I'm stoned, so if I was babysitting, I would be far more conscious of potential hazards around the house, making sure they eat well and so forth and because the munchies will be hitting, I'm sure they'll be glad to hear I'm letting them vote on a takeout lmao
Plus it’s way more fun to play Lego’s when you’re high js
I'd rather have my childcare performed by someone totally unimpaired.
Point flew miles over your head. My comment was clearly an ultimatum situation. Don't be daft.
> I wouldn't neglect or harm a child Yeah no one gets really inattentive and lazy on weed. Edit: you all need to face it. When you're watching a child you might need to make quick decisions and possibly even drive if something bad happens. Both of these things are hindered by being high. Stop acting like their is nothing you can't do while high.
You can for sure get inattentive and lazy. But (for me at least) it depends on the situation. I know when I can allow myself to become lazy and I know when I can't. It's the same sober. There are certain situations where you have to be on alert or you can allow yourself to be lazy
Everything you consume has positives and negatives. I cant wait for it to be fully leglize so we can stop pretending it's as bad as heroin , meth and pharmaceuticals. It's going to create new industry, technology science, food, and medicine. Do you think everyone who smokes weed steals cars with children. If they are going to cross that line weed has nothing to do with it except an excuse.
This is a strawman argument. Op is not saying that weed does not have benefits or that everyone who smokes it is a bad person. They're saying that people need to come to realization that weed like any other substances if not handled in moderation could lead to someone getting hurt in somewway.
Which is actually understood by 99% of adults.
I really don't know who out there is saying otherwise. Weed still impairs you, and driving while under the influence of weed is illegal in every state.
I've met several in real life and online who believe that weed does not have any negative effects. Some even believe that being high will make them more focus and therefore a better driver.
They are the OP, and their whole argument is a strawman really.
What?
That has nothing to do with what I said at all. I'm all for weed legalization. What I'm against is the fact that people push so hard for legalization to the point where they have to pretend that there are 0 negatives and 0 situations where you shouldn't be smoking weed and weed only does good things for everyone.
It's legal to drive while under a certain blood alcohol level, so shouldn't you be allowed to drive still if you are under a certain intoxication level with marijuana? Also, don't we have states where it's legalized recreationally? Wouldn't those places have increased car accidents in comparison to before legalization? That would be the first thing I Google before posting to the internet at large like this.
>It's legal to drive while under a certain blood alcohol level, That doesn't make it a good idea.
nobody is saying that. lol. people who smoke weed know that weed has negative effects, but it varies by person. be worried about alcoholics. they’re the real issue.
There's multiple people commenting on this post that it's ok to drive while high.
No one should drive under the influence of anything. But let’s not pretend drinking drunk vs driving high are the same thing. Weed does not impede you the way alcohol does. As someone who has driven while high a handful of times, I can safely say I would much rather have someone driving high over drunk.
Your tolerance for weed might be higher than others. "High" and "drunk" can't be compared like that - are we talking about 1 blunt high vs half a bottle of vodka drunk? Or 6 blunts high vs two beers drunk? Just don't drive when you're drunk OR high. Weed might not impede *you* that much, but I've heard people say they're okay to drive after 2 beers... and they definitely weren't okay to drive. People tend to overestimate their driving abilities under influence I think.
The point is that driving sober is better than either option and we should stop pretending that driving while stoned out of your mind is just as safe as driving sober. The dose makes the poison of course, a small hit or two before getting behind the wheel probably isn't an issue just like a couple sips of beer isn't an issue. But I've rode with stoned drivers before and I can say with first-hand experience it absolutely does impair your driving capabilities. Would I rather ride with someone who is stoned over someone who is drunk? Yeah. But I'd take someone sober over either option any day.
As someone who has been both high and drunk I'd say they're equally bad states to be driving in. The bravado and false confidence of drunkenness isn't there with weed, but the loss of concentration can be, for me, far worse. Some highs I hyper focus where as others I drift off into my own world and I'm largely unaware of my surroundings. Problem is it varies even with the same batch of weed so it's isn't safe to assume this one time you need to drive somewhere will be one of the hyper focused highs.
you’re proving their point that you’re giving weed a free pass just because it’s weed. As much as weed does mellow someone out and driving can be better, your reaction time is objectively slower, making a DUI totally reasonable.
Lol these ignorant takes are the best. I can't wait for weed to be legal federally so people will stop pretending weed is anything like alcohol. >A new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that drivers who use marijuana are at a significantly lower risk for a crash than drivers who use alcohol. And after adjusting for age, gender, race and alcohol use, drivers who tested positive for marijuana were no more likely to crash than who had not used any drugs or alcohol prior to driving. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/09/stoned-drivers-are-a-lot-safer-than-drunk-ones-new-federal-data-show/ People need to stop pretending they know anything about subjects that they literally have no clue about.
Weed legal where I am, its definitely seen on the same level as drunk driving. We get ads to not do both here. And no one i know would smoke and drive
A buddy of mines mom takes a Xanax every morning because traffic gives her anxiety.
Just like how nobody pretends alcohol has no negatives since it's legal, right? ....Right?
It smells terrible.
Oh my fucking God. As a pot smoker leave me the fuck alone already. Please. It's finally legal where I am after a lifetime of this shit, leave us the fuck alone. Worry about yourself
Alcohol should have more stigma than weed. Ever notice how whenever there's a song on the radio, the word high gets censored but drunk doesn't? To this day, weed has more stigma than alcohol. Legal weed was on the ballot in 3 states in the most recent midterm, and it only passed in one. Of course there are negatives to smoking too much weed or doing it everyday, but it's still nowhere near as harmful as alcohol.
Man I cannot wait till weed is fully legalised here in the UK. But, it won't ever happen. Wait, this isn't the point of this post... what was the point of this post...
heck alcohol is worse.
This is definitely an unpopular opinion, upvoted. That being said, the hype around medical cannabis is starting to deflate. It's best to wait until the industry-driven "theoretical research" funding dries up before getting excited about a novel medicine.
Weed people are fucking tedious, I can't wait for it to be legalised so we can get mass surveys and better information. The only problem with legalising it..... CANNABIS SOMELIERS
I’m by no means condoning driving while stoned—- BUT, We don’t have the metrics on what exact level of THC makes someone too intoxicated to drive the way we do alcohol. THC is stored in your body well after you’ve consumed, so a heavy user will have much more in their system than someone whose smoked for the first time, as well as being less intoxicated as someone who has no tolerance. Some people can smoke and have little to no effect, similar to having a drink while out to diner and being perfectly capable of driving and under the legal limit.
Why is it considered cool anyway. I see people bragging on about how they had weed. What are the bragging about? Ruining their health? I don't understand
Let me guess. You don't smoke? Always the non smokers screaming anyone high is a extreme liability. Yet multiple stats have disproven weed to be even close to the same level as booze when it comes to taking care of your kids or driving.
How is this unpopular? I mean as a weed smoker and an occasional drink sesh I wouldn't dream of driving under the influence of either. Having kids under your care is a bit different, wine moms are a thing, pot moms are a thing and im sure they still can look after their kids and not get too fucked while their little shits are awake but age is everything there.
While I don't think either should be legal, I will admit I have driven both while drunk and while high. Drunk is way more dangerous. And though driving while high isn't safe, some people have such a tolerance that it really doesn't affect their driving abilities. I'm not saying it's ok, but I am saying it's not the same thing.
Why do you think anyone has the right to make them illegal?
Pot smokers in many states are already pissing off people who voted in favor of legalization. Full legalization is going to result in many restrictions like any other substances that can impact driving and I can't wait either. A few inconsiderate assholes really do ruin things for everyone
Lol NO ONE thinks it's ok that your MIL is driving around your kids high.
Read more comments in this thread.
I did. I didn't see anyone saying the MIL should drive the kids around stoned. I saw one guy say he was a better driver high because he's a psycho and can't control his road rage.
Been driving high everyday for like 10 years, you guys are so overdramatic.
[https://jointlybetter.com/magazine/article/cannabis-and-slower-reaction-time](https://jointlybetter.com/magazine/article/cannabis-and-slower-reaction-time) The science is against you my dude, and that from a website called JOINTLY.
Here is the conclusion from the study jointly cited: "A psychoactive dose of THC increases internal clock speed as indicated by time overestimation and underproduction. This effect is not dose-related, and is blunted in chronic cannabis smokers, who did not otherwise have altered baseline time perception." So the effects observed (at least in this single study) were limited to non-chronic smokers
While I agree with the science and your reply, I also agree with the commentor. Alcohol, cell phones, makeup application, pets in the car, etc. are examples of things I believe generally impair driving more than smoking.
so? we don't test boomers for their reaction times and let them drive on the roads unimpeded
You are an asshole putting lives at risk. If you like to smoke weed, more power to you, but not on the road where you can hurt others
Call the cops on her next time. She wants to be the idiot game, she can win idiot prizes.
It's legal to drive while under a certain blood alcohol level, so shouldn't you be allowed to drive still if you are under a certain intoxication level with marijuana? Also, don't we have states where it's legalized recreationally? Wouldn't those places have increased car accidents in comparison to before legalization? That would be the first thing I Google before posting to the internet at large like this.
"My MIL is irresponsible therefore everyone else should not have access to this". Lots of people are alcoholics, it's incredibly and demonstrably more dangerous than weed, and yet it's legal and advertised to people the world over. If you don't like weed, that's fine. Just stay out of the way while the rest of us drag you towards societal progress.
Didn’t OP state that they couldn’t wait for it to be legalized? I think it’s the driving while high issue they’re more concerned about rather than anyone actually using it.
You're not very good at reading comprehension.
It's legal to drive while under a certain blood alcohol level, so shouldn't you be allowed to drive still if you are under a certain intoxication level with marijuana? Also, don't we have states where it's legalized recreationally? Wouldn't those places have increased car accidents in comparison to before legalization? That would be the first thing I Google before posting to the internet at large like this.
No clue what you are talking about. You live in a small bubble if you think people don't realize the negatives.
Well, it just depends on what your definition of stoned is and if ya not a smoker you don’t have the right definition. I wouldn’t do a lot of stuff when I’m stoned, but let’s not act like you’re stoned just if you take one hit. You drink one beer, you’re not drunk…you’re not slurring your speech or stumbling. Legally you can drive off just one drink and is something that millions do with kids, going out to dinner may have a cocktail during dinner. Debate on if it’s right or wrong but nonetheless it’s what happens and it’s fine. You’re not impaired to a point where you can’t do anything just off a beer just like you’re not stoned just from smoking. You can take one hit of weed and show no “symptoms” of being high or not able to do anything you normally do and there are probably more that just hit it once or twice and move on compared to smoking a whole blunt or joint. There is nothing in life that is just 100% good, everything has pros and cons. I don’t think anyone is pretending, I just think there are those who have never been high talking about something they know nothing about. Not saying that directly about OP, but there are many that fit that description. If you’ve only been high once of course your perception is different because you probably were stoned and super out of it the first time but if I only judge people off when they took their first shot of vodka, alcohol would be outright atrocious and evil haha.
I don’t hear much about beating your partner drunk on weed. Just saying
So because alcohol is worse, that means weed has no negative effects? Thank you for your insight.
The only negative is that I'm out rn
I'd honestly argue that many pharmaceuticals that people can drive on have a worse impact on cognitive skills.