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One things Marijuana legalization has done is decrease opioid usage in states that have legalized it. It has also reduced drunk driving rates. Of course taxes a

One things Marijuana legalization has done is decrease opioid usage in states that have legalized it. It has also reduced drunk driving rates. Of course taxes are nice, and removing the money from the underworld is a big win too.

barsonme 9y ago
> It has also reduced drunk driving rates. What happened to the overall DUI rates, though?
- ewjordan 9y ago
  I'll take 10 stoned drivers over 1 drunk one any day of the week. Stoned drivers may be slow as hell and really annoying, but drunk ones speed and kill people all the time.
  - omginternets 9y ago
    This is the kind of thing that really needs to be cited.
    - DanBC 9y ago
      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722956/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722956/ > Detrimental effects of cannabis use vary in a dose-related fashion, and are more pronounced with highly automatic driving functions than with more complex tasks that require conscious control, whereas with alcohol produces an opposite pattern of impairment. Because of both this and an increased awareness that they are impaired, marijuana smokers tend to compensate effectively while driving by utilizing a variety of behavioral strategies. Combining marijuana with alcohol eliminates the ability to use such strategies effectively, however, and results in impairment even at doses which would be insignificant were they of either drug alone. Epidemiological studies have been inconclusive regarding whether cannabis use causes an increased risk of accidents; in contrast, unanimity exists that alcohol use increases crash risk. Furthermore, the risk from driving under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis is greater than the risk of driving under the influence of either alone. Future research should focus on resolving contradictions posed by previous studies, and patients who smoke cannabis should be counseled to wait several hours before driving, and avoid combining the two drugs.
  - icc97 9y ago
    The song "Let's push things forward" [0] by UK band The Streets is a great song that depicts some of the differences between drunk and stoned people. You need to listen to the song rather than just read the lyrics. [0]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Push_Things_Forward https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Push_Things_Forward
    - Zanta 9y ago
      I think you mean to refer to another track from that album, "The Irony of It All"
      - icc97 9y ago
        Bloody hell, you're quite right, I'd even double checked the lyrics and still got it wrong.
Chathamization 9y ago
This is an important point; making a drug illegal can sometimes lead to people seeking out more dangerous drugs that are legal to use instead. Bath salts (the drugs, not actual bath salts) are a good example - a large part of their popularity they weren't illegal at the federal level until 2012.

barsonme 9y ago

> It has also reduced drunk driving rates. What happened to the overall DUI rates, though?

ewjordan 9y ago
I'll take 10 stoned drivers over 1 drunk one any day of the week. Stoned drivers may be slow as hell and really annoying, but drunk ones speed and kill people all the time.
- omginternets 9y ago
  This is the kind of thing that really needs to be cited.
  - DanBC 9y ago
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722956/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722956/ > Detrimental effects of cannabis use vary in a dose-related fashion, and are more pronounced with highly automatic driving functions than with more complex tasks that require conscious control, whereas with alcohol produces an opposite pattern of impairment. Because of both this and an increased awareness that they are impaired, marijuana smokers tend to compensate effectively while driving by utilizing a variety of behavioral strategies. Combining marijuana with alcohol eliminates the ability to use such strategies effectively, however, and results in impairment even at doses which would be insignificant were they of either drug alone. Epidemiological studies have been inconclusive regarding whether cannabis use causes an increased risk of accidents; in contrast, unanimity exists that alcohol use increases crash risk. Furthermore, the risk from driving under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis is greater than the risk of driving under the influence of either alone. Future research should focus on resolving contradictions posed by previous studies, and patients who smoke cannabis should be counseled to wait several hours before driving, and avoid combining the two drugs.
- icc97 9y ago
  The song "Let's push things forward" [0] by UK band The Streets is a great song that depicts some of the differences between drunk and stoned people. You need to listen to the song rather than just read the lyrics. [0]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Push_Things_Forward https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Push_Things_Forward
  - Zanta 9y ago
    I think you mean to refer to another track from that album, "The Irony of It All"
    - icc97 9y ago
      Bloody hell, you're quite right, I'd even double checked the lyrics and still got it wrong.

Chathamization 9y ago

This is an important point; making a drug illegal can sometimes lead to people seeking out more dangerous drugs that are legal to use instead. Bath salts (the drugs, not actual bath salts) are a good example - a large part of their popularity they weren't illegal at the federal level until 2012.