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Az · August 31, 2005, 12:51

maybe sava smokes lawn.

**Playful** · August 31, 2005, 12:57

Driving while under the influence of anything that impairs your judgement is dangerous. Illegal substance or not ie Presciption drugs. Get into a vehicle and you are in effect driving a machine you can kill someone with. Be responsible.

**Hueij** · August 31, 2005, 13:01

I wonder what Paul Simon thinks about all of this...

**Wezil** · August 31, 2005, 13:22

Originally posted by Playful
Driving while under the influence of anything that impairs your judgement is dangerous. Illegal substance or not ie Presciption drugs. Get into a vehicle and you are in effect driving a machine you can kill someone with. Be responsible.

"impaired" is a legal term. Once again the article makes no mention of Art being impaired.

One alcohol beverage will not cause most people to be impaired and many are fine after moderate THC use.

Impaired is the key word.

Az · August 31, 2005, 13:25

Oh, come on, have you seen his pic? He's probably ALWAYS stoned as ****.

**Wezil** · August 31, 2005, 13:26

Knowing it and proving it are two different things.

**Brundlefly** · August 31, 2005, 13:28

Re: Art Garfunkel arrested for pot

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Just look at him! He's totally toasted all the time!

They arrested him by mistake. It was really Datajack Franit they were looking for.

**Sava** · August 31, 2005, 13:31

Originally posted by Guynemer

Quoted for

TRUTH

it depends

if we're talking about 2-15 minutes after smoking, sure... that's not very smart...

but after about 30 minutes, it's not dangerous at all

it's all different for different people...

I could smoke ten joints and still pass a field soberity test... and still have faster reflexes than an elderly driver.

That's not bull****.

I challenge you Guynemer. Show me some statistics about marijuana usage and car crashes.

… The results to date of crash culpability studies have failed to demonstrate that drivers with cannabinoids in the blood are significantly more likely than drug-free drivers to be culpable in road crashes. … [In] cases in which THC was the only drug present were analyzed, the culpability ratio was found to be not significantly different from the no-drug group.” - REFERENCE: G. Chesher and M. Longo. 2002. Cannabis and alcohol in motor vehicle accidents. In: F. Grotenhermen and E. Russo (Eds.) Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential. New York: Haworth Press. Pp. 313-323.

“Cannabis leads to a more cautious style of driving, [but] it has a negative impact on decision time and trajectory. [However,] this in itself does not mean that drivers under the influence of cannabis represent a traffic safety risk. … Cannabis alone, particularly in low doses, has little effect on the skills involved in automobile driving.” - REFERENCE: Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs. 2002. Cannabis: Summary Report: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy. Ottawa. Chapter 8: Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis.

… Evidence of impairment from the consumption of cannabis has been reported by studies using laboratory tests, driving simulators and on-road observation. ... Both simulation and road trials generally find that driving behavior shortly after consumption of larger doses of cannabis results in (i) a more cautious driving style; (ii) increased variability in lane position (and headway); and (iii) longer decision times. Whereas these results indicate a 'change' from normal conditions, they do not necessarily reflect 'impairment' in terms of performance effectiveness since few studies report increased accident risk. - REFERENCE: UK Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (Road Safety Division). 2000. Cannabis and Driving: A Review of the Literature and Commentary. Crowthorne, Berks: TRL Limited.

“Overall, we conclude that the weight of the evidence indicates that:

1) There is no evidence that consumption of cannabis alone increases the risk of culpability for traffic crash fatalities or injuries for which hospitalization occurs, and may reduce those risks.
2) The evidence concerning the combined effect of cannabis and alcohol on the risk of traffic fatalities and injuries, relative to the risk of alcohol alone, is unclear.
3) It is not possible to exclude the possibility that the use of cannabis (with or without alcohol) leads to an increased risk of road traffic crashes causing less serious injuries and vehicle damage.” - REFERENCE: M. Bates and T. Blakely. 1999. “Role of cannabis in motor vehicle crashes.” Epidemiologic Reviews 21: 222-232.

“In conclusion, marijuana impairs driving behavior. However, this impairment is mitigated in that subjects under marijuana treatment appear to perceive that they are indeed impaired. Where they can compensate, they do, for example by not overtaking, by slowing down and by focusing their attention when they know a response will be required. … Effects on driving behavior are present up to an hour after smoking but do not continue for extended periods. With respect to comparisons between alcohol and marijuana effects, these substances tend to differ in their effects. In contrast to the compensatory behavior exhibited by subjects under marijuana treatment, subjects who have received alcohol tend to drive in a more risky manner. Both substances impair performance; however, the more cautious behavior of subjects who have received marijuana decreases the impact of the drug on performance, whereas the opposite holds true for alcohol.”
-REFERENCE: A. Smiley. 1999. Marijuana: On-Road and Driving-Simulator Studies. In: H. Kalant et al. (Eds) The Health Effects of Cannabis. Toronto: Center for Addiction and Mental Health. Pp. 173-191.

“Intoxication with cannabis leads to a slight impairment of psychomotor … function. … [However,] the impairment in driving skills does not appear to be severe, even immediately after taking cannabis, when subjects are tested in a driving simulator. This may be because people intoxicated by cannabis appear to compensate for their impairment by taking fewer risks and driving more slowly, whereas alcohol tends to encourage people to take great risks and drive more aggressively.” - REFERENCE: UK House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology. 1998. Ninth Report. London: United Kingdom. Chapter 4: Section 4.7.

“The evidence suggests that marijuana presents a real, but secondary safety risk; and that alcohol is the leading drug-related accident risk factor.” - REFERENCES: D. Gieringer. 1988. Marijuana, driving, and accident safety. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 20: 93-101.

“For each of 2,500 injured drivers presenting to a hospital, a blood sample was collected for later analysis. There was a clear relationship between alcohol and culpability. … In contrast, there was no significant increase in culpability for cannabinoids alone. While a relatively large number of injured drivers tested positive for cannabinoids, culpability rates were no higher than those for the drug free group. This is consistent with other findings.” - REFERENCE: C. Hunter et al. 1998. The Prevalence and Role of Alcohol, Cannabinoids, Benzodiazepines and Stimulants in Non-Fatal Crashes. Adelaide: South Australia: Forensic Science, Department for Administration and Information Services.

“Blood samples from 894 patients presenting to two Emergency Departments for treatment of motor vehicle injur[ies] … were tested for alcohol and other drugs.
… Based on alcohol and drug testing of the full range of patients … alcohol is clearly the major drug associated with serious crashes and greater injury. Patients testing positive for illicit drugs (marijuana, opiates, and cocaine), in the absence of alcohol, were in crashes very similar to those of patients with neither alcohol nor drugs. When other relevant variables were considered, these drugs were not associated with more severe crashes or greater injury.” - REFERENCE: P. Waller et al. 1997. Crash characteristics and injuries of victims impaired by alcohol versus illicit drugs. Accident Analysis and Prevention 29: 817-827.

“Blood specimens were collected from a sample of 1,882 drivers from 7 states, during 14 months in the years 1990 and 1991. The sample comprised operators of passenger cars, trucks, and motorcycles who died within 4 hours of their crash.
… While cannabinoids were detected in 7 percent of the drivers, the psychoactive agent THC was found in only 4 percent. … The THC-only drivers had a responsibility rate below that of the drugfree drivers. … While the difference was not statistically significant, there was no indication that cannabis by itself was a cause of fatal crashes.” - REFERENCE: K. Terhune. 1992. The incidence and role of drugs in fatally injured drivers. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Report No. DOT HS 808 065.

“Marijuana's effects on actual driving performance were assessed in a series of three studies wherein dose-effect relationships were measured in actual driving situations that progressively approached reality. … THC's effects on road-tracking after doses up to 300 µg/kg never exceeded alcohol's at bacs of 0.08%; and, were in no way unusual compared to many medicinal drugs. Yet, THC's effects differ qualitatively from many other drugs, especially alcohol. Evidence from the present and previous studies strongly suggests that alcohol encourages risky driving whereas THC encourages greater caution, at least in experiments. Another way THC seems to differ qualitatively from many other drugs is that the formers users seem better able to compensate for its adverse effects while driving under the influence.” - REFERENCE: H. Robbe. 1995. Marijuana’s effects on actual driving performance. In: C. Kloeden and A. McLean (Eds) Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety T-95. Adelaide: Australia: HHMRC Road Research Unit, University of Adelaide. Pp. 11-20.

“This report concerns the effects of marijuana smoking on actual driving performance. … This program of research has shown that marijuana, when taken alone, produces a moderate degree of driving impairment which is related to consumed THC dose. The impairment manifests itself mainly in the ability to maintain a lateral position on the road, but its magnitude is not exceptional in comparison with changes produced by many medicinal drugs and alcohol. Drivers under the influence of marijuana retain insight in their performance and will compensate when they can, for example, by slowing down or increasing effort. As a consequence, THC’s adverse effects on driving performance appear relatively small.” - REFERENCE: W. Hindrik and J. Robbe and J. O’Hanlon. 1993. Marijuana and actual driving performance. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Report No. DOT HS 808 078.

“Overall, it is possible to conclude that cannabis has a measurable effect on psychomotor performance, particularly tracking ability. Its effect on higher cognitive functions, for example divided attention tasks associated with driving, appear not to be as critical. Drivers under the influence of cannabis seem aware that they are impaired, and attempt to compensate for this impairment by reducing the difficulty of the driving task, for example by driving more slowly. In terms of road safety, it cannot be concluded that driving under the influence of cannabis is not a hazard, as the effects of various aspects of driver performance are unpredictable. However, in comparison with alcohol, the severe effects of alcohol on the higher cognitive processes of driving are likely to make this more of a hazard, particularly at higher blood alcohol levels.” - REFERENCE: B. Sexton et al. 2000. The influence of cannabis on driving: A report prepared for the UK Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Road Safety Division). Crowthorne, Berks: TRL Limited.

from NORML's website...

you have been pwned Guynemer... have a nice day

**child of Thor** · August 31, 2005, 13:36

The Hipsters of Harmony

Still i hope the courts don't take it too lightly as he is a famous person - driving while under any drugs can end in disaster

I doubt he'd be happy if he hit some kid crossing the road and failed to react in time(based on real life as a passanger in a car driven by a very stoned driver - replace "kid" with a tree)

And from my observations and experiences 'most' people when stoned slow down in their thought to reaction/communication processes.

Az · August 31, 2005, 13:37

Originally posted by SlowwHand

Yes, indeed. Priorities firmly addressed and in place.

Yep

He was doing a very dangerous thing. And I am strongly "legalize and tax".

**Sava** · August 31, 2005, 13:41

Originally posted by Az
He was doing a very dangerous thing.

absolutely wrong

not even the cop thought so...

he wasn't even charged with DWI

I want to make this perfectly clear, because I know everyone will misinterpret what I am saying.

I am not saying it is all right to smoke pot and drive.

I am saying that it is not as dangerous as driving drunk.

And arguably, driving under the influence of mariuana is probably less dangerous than driving with a cell phone.

**Guynemer** · August 31, 2005, 13:42

Christ almighty, Sava, I didn't say that marijuana use was worse than alcohol.

Those cited articles state that THC does lead to impaired driving, just not to the extent of alcohol. Well, big fat DUH.

Driving while impairing is BAD, mmmkay? Doesn't matter what it is that has impaired you.

**Guynemer** · August 31, 2005, 13:43

Originally posted by Sava
I want to make this perfectly clear, because I know everyone will misinterpret what I am saying.

I am not saying it is all right to smoke pot and drive.

Originally posted by Sava

Driving while stoned is not that big a deal.

**child of Thor** · August 31, 2005, 13:44

Art+Simon in the golden days

they don't look like pot smokers?

Attached Files

**Sava** · August 31, 2005, 13:45

Those statements are not contradictory at all.

I would not say it's all right to speed...

but driving 15 mph over the speed limit is not that big a deal...

same kind of situation

what's so funny about that?