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Has it just become more safe to ride in CO and WA?

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Has it just become more safe to ride in CO and WA?

Old 02-12-14, 02:36 PM
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Has it just become more safe to ride in CO and WA?

Colorado and Washington both just legalized marijuana for recreational adult use.

This will make riding in both states much safer.

Discuss.
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Old 02-12-14, 02:39 PM
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Why would it make riding safer? I don't understand your premise.
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Old 02-12-14, 02:45 PM
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No.
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Old 02-12-14, 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by RPK79
Why would it make riding safer?
Why would it make riding less safe? Which was an unfounded assertion in another thread.

Originally Posted by rydabent
No.
Why?
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Old 02-12-14, 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by mconlonx
Why would it make riding less safe? Which was an unfounded assertion in another thread.
Then why didn't you keep it in that thread instead of starting a new thread completely out of context?

Have you been partaking in the newly legalized activity?
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Old 02-12-14, 03:03 PM
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Originally Posted by RPK79
Then why didn't you keep it in that thread instead of starting a new thread completely out of context?

Have you been partaking in the newly legalized activity?
I wanted to offer a counter-point push-thread.

Unfortunately, I reside in a state where recreational use is still illegal, so no, no partaking...
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Old 02-12-14, 04:56 PM
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Old 02-12-14, 05:10 PM
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Yes and no.. I'd bet less of them are driving, but more that shouldn't drive are.. taken from my experiences with green smokers through life and with no scientific basis whatsoever
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Old 02-12-14, 05:20 PM
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Simple answer to both opinions (more or less safe) is that nobody knows.

Most people have a preconceived opinion based on a bunch of assumptions that may or may not be accurate. Let's quit debating something about which no hard data exists, and wait and see what happens (if anything).

BTW- most of the posts on the other thread were based on assumptions about motorist use of MJ. Don't cyclists use MJ to roughly the same degree as the rest of the population?
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Old 02-12-14, 05:31 PM
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How can having more drivers on the road driving impared make the roads more safe?
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Old 02-12-14, 06:06 PM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
How can having more drivers on the road driving impared make the roads more safe?
Before you can properly ask that question, you have to support the underlying premise. Namely, that the new laws will put more impaired drivers on the road.

That's the real question, and there's no proven answer, only a bunch of assumptions.
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Old 02-12-14, 06:26 PM
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My guess is most of folks now using legally (well, legally per state law, still illegal federally) are a bit more mature and risk averse than the typical illegal user.

In other words, the kids who were getting high before are still getting high.
The new users are probably their parents and grandparents, and may be less likely to drive while high than the younger ones.
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Old 02-13-14, 09:24 AM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
How can having more drivers on the road driving impared make the roads more safe?
I've asked you politely any number of times: please post evidence that legalization of MJ means more impaired drivers.

On my end, we all know that smoking weed leads to hanging out in your parent's basement, playing video games while listening to Cypress Hill and eating Doritos. Rather than driving.

Or maybe you are worried that cyclists will run into cars driving too slow?

In major metro areas, there are also weed delivery services, sometimes by bicycle (bike advocacy!), but in any case, keeps a stoner off the roads and safe at home.

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Old 02-13-14, 09:35 AM
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Originally Posted by mconlonx

On my end, we all know that smoking weed leads to hanging out in your parent's basement, playing video games while listening to Cypress Hill and eating Doritos. Rather than driving..
This is equally non supportable as it applies to whether legalization will lead to more impaired MJ users on roads in CO.

I don't know if any studies have been conducted in the states where medical MJ has been legal for a while. Even those may not apply since many using MJ medically are too sick to drive, but at least those would be better than making stupid assumptions and generalizations, declaring them as fact then using these to support the conclusion.
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Old 02-14-14, 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by FBinNY
This is equally non supportable as it applies to whether legalization will lead to more impaired MJ users on roads in CO.

I don't know if any studies have been conducted in the states where medical MJ has been legal for a while. Even those may not apply since many using MJ medically are too sick to drive, but at least those would be better than making stupid assumptions and generalizations, declaring them as fact then using these to support the conclusion.
Of course it is not supportable, just like assertions that legalization will increase impaired driving are unsupportable. Unless of course people do actual research. Plenty of examples out there. Netherlands, Portugal, Uruguay... Weed had been decriminalized in the UK for a while and then recriminalized. Should be all kinds of figures there... unless of course they don't support claims made by those with a prohibitionist agenda... then such figures might be a bit harder to dig up.
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Old 02-14-14, 11:01 AM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
No.
Hooked on the third post.
@mconlonx <- expert angler
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Old 02-16-14, 08:40 AM
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Listening to a pot smoker tell me that pot smoking makes a driver safer is like listening to an alcoholic saying the same thing. IMO both are brain damaged.
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Old 02-16-14, 10:44 AM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
Listening to a pot smoker tell me that pot smoking makes a driver safer is like listening to an alcoholic saying the same thing. IMO both are brain damaged.
Borrowed from another thread, but it seems appropriate here:

Originally Posted by rydabent
[...)
But I guess there will always people like him that dont have a clue to other peoples lives and the reason for doing what they do. Ignorance is a bad thing.
Indeed it is.
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Old 02-16-14, 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
Listening to a pot smoker tell me that pot smoking makes a driver safer is like listening to an alcoholic saying the same thing. IMO both are brain damaged.
Listening to someone who can't post any evidence to support their argument that driving impaired rates will rise in communities which legalize weed for recreational use, makes me think that they are stoned or in some other way mentally incapacitated.
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Old 02-16-14, 12:37 PM
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Well...obviously worse if there's a rise in stoner vacas. Like all those Texans driving to get some Rocky Mountain high. Let's see, driving to Colorado they'll be in a hurry and leaving Colorado they'll be trying to smoke/eat everything in sight before crossing the border. Yeah..just who I want on my ass, a bunch of sleepy eyed, carbed out stoners.
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Old 02-16-14, 11:43 PM
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Originally Posted by mconlonx
Colorado and Washington both just legalized marijuana for recreational adult use.

This will make riding in both states much safer.

Discuss.
Ancedotal evidence - one of my former coworkers (self-proclaimed nickname was "stoner") argued that smoking pot made him live longer, because time slowed down. So, extrapolating that experience to motor vehicle use, it would suggest that stoners will be safer drivers, since a welcome side effect of slowing time will be increase in the amount of time available to avoid bikers on the road.

Since the sample size is one, there may be some +/- error associated with this conclusion.
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Old 02-17-14, 08:34 AM
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Just on the news this morning it is reported that the number of pot impared accidents have greatly increased.

I guess that answers that question.
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Old 02-17-14, 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
Just on the news this morning it is reported that the number of pot impared accidents have greatly increased.

I guess that answers that question.
Post a source. There was one sensationalized claim, easily shot down -- is that the one you are talking about?
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Old 02-18-14, 05:08 AM
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"""The study’s lead author, Edward Romano, a senior research scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, said that once he adjusted for demographics and the presence of alcohol, marijuana did not statistically increase the risk of a crash."""

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/he...EXCITE&ei=5043
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Old 02-18-14, 10:22 AM
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Some things to take into account.

You can massage any statistic or set of numbers into supporting what you want to say. Most of the studies I found looking into this were presented by either closed minded get of my lawn types or the frito munching pro legalization set. By far, the pro legalization crowd had better presentation and citations. https://norml.org/library/item/mariju...tific-evidence While the anti legalization is based mainly on law enforcement, who for the most part does not want the war on drugs to end, and the opinion pages. https://www.azcentral.com/opinions/ar...dren-polk.html

As was stated in the other thread, there is no roadside test. So any statistics showing that a person in a wreck had MJ in their system only really be showing that they HAVE used it, but not that they WERE using it at that time.

The effects of MJ are pretty short in duration compared to alcohol. Twenty minutes or so, by both personal experience and observation. Compare that to being drunk for hours, again personal experience and observation.

Anyone who is toking while actually driving, was doing so WAY before it was legal. Personal observation.

No amount of discussion here will determine actual facts, much less present any solutions other than the opinion based one set in the mind pre-discussion.
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