Why is marijuana illegal in United States?

[MrFun]

Getting a DUI is a lot scarier to me with the knowledge that I could go to jail than if I had to do some hours of community service.

What confuses me is, why do people drive drunk? How do you get into a situation where you wind up driving drunk in the first place? If you're going to be drinking, get a ride there. It's really that simple.

1. The person that goes out maybe cannot afford a cab to and from the bar.

2. He doesn't have any family/friends who want to go out to bars/clubs as frequently as he does, so he doesn't have someone as a designated driver to go along with him.

Of course, the smart thing to do, is if you cannot afford a cab, to get a designated driver to be with you. As for number two, the smart thing to do, is just find something else to do rather than go out, until there is a night when you do have a family member or a friend to go out with you.

Or in either of the above cases, go out to the bars/clubs, but don't drink alcohol. Water, juices, club sodas, or virgin mixed drinks.

[DinoDoc]

What confuses me is, why do people drive drunk? How do you get into a situation where you wind up driving drunk in the first place? If you're going to be drinking, get a ride there. It's really that simple.

If my Dad's anything to go by, they are contemptuous of the risks involved and perceive lack of enforcement as he did it multiple times without penalty in the 70's and 80's.

[Berzerker]

DENVER - Angeline Chilton says she can't drive unless she smokes pot.

The suburban Denver woman says she'd never get behind the wheel right after smoking, but she does use medical marijuana twice a day to ease tremors caused by multiple sclerosis that previously left her homebound.

"I don't drink and drive, and I don't smoke and drive," she said. "But my body is completely saturated with THC."

Her case underscores a problem that no one's sure how to solve: How do you tell if someone is too stoned to drive?

when they cant operate a car safely?

if they cant, it dont matter why

[snoopy369]

A lot of people are under the impression that they can drive perfectly fine while under the influence. That's why they do. The problem is that the more drunk you are, the poorer you are at deciding if you're okay to drive or not...

Drunk drivers should be jailed, period. It is unnecessary, and potentially very harmful. Non drunk, you have 1.5 fatalities per 100 million miles driven. Drunk you have one per 1.6 million miles. I'd say something that makes you 15 times more likely to kill someone should be heavily penalized...

[Berzerker]

If police suspect a driver is stoned, they now administer a lengthy 12-point examination. The driver must walk a straight line and stand on one leg, estimate the passage of 30 seconds and have pupils, blood pressure and pulse checked.

Chuck Hayes, national coordinator for the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police based in Washington, D.C., says the system works well to identify impaired drivers, and any future legal limit or medical test would be just another tool rather than a revolutionary change.

"We are not concerned about levels or limits. We are concerned with impairment," Hayes said.

you just pulled someone over and checking their BP and pulse will identify pot or impairment? it'll identify someone with elevated BP and pulse because a cop pulled them over.

whats the warning for drugs?

never operate heavy machinery until you understand how your body reacts to the drug

thats sound advice, ironically the various research I can find suggests older chronic users aint much of a threat compared to "sober" drivers. Just like drug users of all stripes, a tolerance builds up and the body gets "used" to operating under the influence. Somebody getting drunk for the 1st time cant compete with experienced drinkers.

but I do know if I was driving and I smoked a cig, I'd become impaired almost immediately - and I smoked for decades. I'd get so dizzy and sick I'd be lucky to get the car pulled over and stopped.

[DaShi]

I'd say something that makes you 15 times more likely to kill someone should be heavily penalized...

If that were true NBC would cancel Whitney! Ha!

[Dr Strangelove]

The overwhelming majority of people incarcerated with marijuana related convictions are actually serving time due to other, more serious offenses and the marijuana conviction actually adds nothing to their jail time.

[giblets]

The overwhelming majority of people incarcerated with marijuana related convictions are actually serving time due to other, more serious offenses and the marijuana conviction actually adds nothing to their jail time.

The other, more serious offense of being an African American?

[Felch]

The overwhelming majority of people incarcerated with marijuana related convictions are actually serving time due to other, more serious offenses and the marijuana conviction actually adds nothing to their jail time.

I'm sure that the overwhelming majority of people incarcerated for sodomy were in prison for other more serious offenses. But that doesn't mean that a free society should imprison anybody for a socially benign behavior.

[Dr Strangelove]

The other, more serious offense of being an African American?

Well, if you'd consider assault, burglary, homicide, etc. the same as being African American. I wouldn't, you might.

[Dr Strangelove]

I'm sure that the overwhelming majority of people incarcerated for sodomy were in prison for other more serious offenses. But that doesn't mean that a free society should imprison anybody for a socially benign behavior.

Depends upon who's getting sodomized.

[giblets]

Well, if you'd consider assault, burglary, homicide, etc. the same as being African American. I wouldn't, you might.

I'm supposed to believe that only dangerous murderers need worry about the threat of going to prison for smoking marijuana?

[-Jrabbit]

Sell high on your private prison system stocks, people.

[Excalibur19]

Something about how hemp was a threat to cotton or some other clothing type and the owners of the threatened clothing type pulled strings to paint mj as some bad thing.

[-Jrabbit]

Yes. You might try reading the tread before posting in it...