Question about D.U.I. and marijuana

[Kenpokev]

Anyway, I didn't really know how to interpret your post. But do you honestly feel that harsh drug laws for marijuana are appropriate?

You may interpret the post any way you wish, of course. I thought it was pretty direct. If we suspect drug use... we will take a blood sample. If you smoke dope, I think it's a stupid thing to do. I also think "decriminalization" is foolish as well, however I don't wish to waste the time articulating the many reasons I feel this way.

Let me leave you with this: We now have a young man in custody for DUI, Death. He and his girlfriend were in route to the Burning Man Festival at Black Rock. They smoked a "little" pot on the way here. No booze or other drugs, just pot. He spaced out at the wheel, lost control, over-corrected and rolled the Scion 3-4 times. It took over an hour to extract her body from the wreckage. Paramedics could treat her due to the wreckage and they watched her die. He got a few dozen stitches in his head and some minor scratches.

Just a little pot.


And yes, I feel the same way about alcohol use and driving too.

[scott715us]

#1 - Read Kenpokev's above post

#2 - It's not the fact that marijuana is not as hard a drug as meth or cocaine, but the fact that it is ILLEGAL. Until it (if ever) becomes legal, when people choose to use it, then they choose to face the possible consequences (stiff fines & jail time).

I don't understand why risk it? Is it that important to smoke some weed and get high with the chance of being arrested?

[Valor55]

I always laugh about pot not being a "violent drug" when we get someone beat up, or killed, or a home invasion over a little bit of pot.

[ngcsubutterbar]

Please keep in mind when discussing this, the comment you made even just 'supporting' decriminalization borders very closely on the line to earning a ban here. This board has an absolute and strictly enforced'Zero' tolerance policy against talk of drugs being 'good'. Just a friendly fyi.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Vermicelli

Before they started smoking marijuana, they started with drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes. There are many arguments for tougher laws against marijuana, and I agree with many of them, but the gateway drug theory is one that just irks me. If anything, people who move on to harder drugs do so because of the environment they get into by the very nature of something they do being illegal..

There is a reason that law enforcement has an almost universal opinion that marijuana is a gateway drug to other drugs and it is not based on studies we read. It is based on what we have seen on the job, and from interviewing and talking to thousands of drug abusers.

Besides being against the forum rules, trying to convice law enforcement that we shouldn't believe our lying eyes and ears regarding marijuana and other drugs is annoying to us. Go to marijuana.com and you will meet great enthusiasm for your theories and beliefs.

[Vermicelli]

Originally Posted by ngcsubutterbar

Please keep in mind when discussing this, the comment you made even just 'supporting' decriminalization borders very closely on the line to earning a ban here. This board has an absolute and strictly enforced'Zero' tolerance policy against talk of drugs being 'good'. Just a friendly fyi.

Thanks for letting me know. I didn't realize that. Wish there was a delete feature. But I sure don't think drugs are good by any stretch of the word.

And I really didn't mean to be annoying to anybody here Group9. I didn't start this thread to try and start a debate with any LEO's here. Kenpokev made a comment on my decriminalization comment(which was originally made to show that my views on marijuana DUI's aren't a crusade against users), and I was merely articulating my views. Convincing law enforcement I'm right wasn't my objective, but I was hoping to help you guys understand my viewpoint. Sorry if I annoyed anybody here. I wasn't trying to troll, and I wish I could just delete that post.

Anyway, I hope we can get back to the topic at hand and just ignore this tangent.

[jd524]

[quote=Vermicelli]
Now personally, I view marijuana on the same level as alcohol. I don't think it's any better or worse. They're both harmful substances that have a high likelihood of being abused. [quote]

[jd524]

Originally Posted by Vermicelli

Now personally, I view marijuana on the same level as alcohol. I don't think it's any better or worse. They're both harmful substances that have a high likelihood of being abused.

Oops, sorry about the accidental post above.

Now I might get myself into a jam here for being in partial agreement with Vermicelli, I noticed he got spanked; however I have always spoke my mind so here we go.

Now don't get me wrong. I hate MJ, and always have. I don't run traffic to write tickets. I stop cars to get into them. I have a strong thirst to find drugs.

I don't view MJ on the same level as alcohol. One is illegal, the other isn't. That's why I fight against one, and consume the other. Legalities aside, I agree partially with Vermicelli. I believe alcohol is just as destructive to our society as MJ. Not for everyone, but for millions. No one can deny the multiple types of tragedies that alcohol is responsible for.

Whether MJ is good or bad, it doesn't matter. As long as it's illegal...I hate it, but just because alcohol is legal doesn't mean it's less harmful than MJ.

[Valor55]

Originally Posted by jd524

Whether MJ is good or bad, it doesn't matter. As long as it's illegal...I hate it, but just because alcohol is legal doesn't mean it's less harmful than MJ.

Alcohol absolutely can be harmful. Due to our failure to successfully ban alcohol though I don't think we should give up on marijuana. I'll never pretend that alcohol isn't destructive or terrible when abused. The difference though is that you can have a few drinks of alcohol and not be impaired or abuse it. You can't do that with MJ. You are either high or you aren't.

[mobrien316]

I think you could certainly state that alcohol also causes a lot of violence and tragedy without necessarily implying that marijuana is somehow less harmful or should be legalized.

I have arrested many more people for driving while under the influence of alcohol than I have for driving while under the influence of marijuana. In my opinion that doesn’t mean that marijuana is any less harmful than alcohol; it simply means that the number of people who use alcohol is much greater than the number of people who use marijuana.

I think if we ever get to the point where marijuana is legal and is sold in bars and restaurants along with alcohol the number of marijuana-related crashes, DUI, and fatalities would increase commensurately.

[Valor55]

Originally Posted by mobrien316

I think if we ever get to the point where marijuana is legal and is sold in bars and restaurants along with alcohol the number of marijuana-related crashes, DUI, and fatalities would increase commensurately.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Rep enroute.