Three news stories exemplify the tragic results of mixing alcohol and marijuana before getting behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Most recently, a suspected-DUI driver crashed into a California Highway patrolman in a parked vehicle on Christmas Eve. Andrew Camilleri, 33, died instantly. He left behind a wife and three children. Continue reading Alcohol and Marijuana together Magnifies Driving Difficulties
Read Part I: Time to get mad about stoned driving. The next step is to change attitudes about stoned driving.
Marijuana Policy Project promoted marijuana as an alternative to alcohol in the 2012 campaign to legalize pot in Colorado. However, the recent Rocky Mountain HIDTA Report revealed the overlap between those who use marijuana and drink before driving. It’s not a substitution, but an adjunct to alcohol. The alcohol industry has been selling more since legalization. Continue reading Time to get mad, change attitudes about stoned driving, part 2
Legislators who introduced a bill to legalize marijuana back in April can’t be very intelligent, unless they’re just trying to be ironic.
“Coalition for a SAFER ILLINOIS” said the idea of legalizing weed in Illinois was so people can buy from regulated dispensaries, rather than the black market. It’s an odd comment since none of the states that have legalized pot have gotten rid of black markets. In fact, the black markets seem to grow stronger with legalization, as everyone wants a piece of the pie.
SAFER ILLINOIS admits that their campaign is for the drug users. Continue reading Be Smarter, Illinois: Don’t Believe Pot Makes you Safer
A National Safety Report released this month shows that 76% percent of those surveyed are concerned about traffic safety under the legalization of marijuana.
Ironically, the same survey showed that 13 percent of drivers actually have driven under the influence of marijuana during the last month. Of the 2,000 plus participants, 14% were between comprised drivers ages 30-34, the largest group in the survey.
Here’s a report of the National Safety Council’s Survey.
On CBS Evening News, Deborah Hersman of the National Safety Council called out people driving under the influence of marijuana and alcohol, She also mentioned states legalizing substances without adequate testing. Watch the video.
Traffic fatalities have been increasing in the last two years, to an estimated 40,000 deaths last year. The previous year a rise in deaths was led by increases in the Northwestern states. Washington, which commercialized marijuana in 2014, had the highest rate of traffic fatalities involving drivers under the influence. The rate more than doubled in 2014.
Hersman mentioned that drivers ages 19-24 seem to be involved in the most risky driving behaviors. We find that many of the crashes caused by stoned drivers involve those ages 17 – 20, below the legal age for marijuana in the states that have legalized. When teens drive stoned, they often have friends with them, leading to multiple deaths at once.
We have published numerous articles on stoned driving.
Articles show how bicyclists and pedestrians are in danger. It is not uncommon for those who cause accidents to be both stoned and drunk simultaneously.
