Without getting into the technical weeds of dosing, tolerance, and impairment, this is an interesting data set that definitely paints a picture of lax enforceme

Without getting into the technical weeds of dosing, tolerance, and impairment, this is an interesting data set that definitely paints a picture of lax enforcement and ineffective public messaging around substance use and associated impairments. That being said, I also don’t see how we can do better in the USA given that cars are necessary evils for the majority of people outside a select few cities with public transport options, and that we’ve been doing messaging about impaired driving for nearly a century to no real avail. Perhaps it’s time to start treating motor vehicle operation as an actual privilege rather than a “right” gated by a far-too-easy licensing regime. Start by tasking safety officers with more citations for things like failing to signal or illegal turns through dash camera footage (to avoid dangerous traffic stops), start suspending licenses earlier for consistent or serious infractions, and raise licensing standards higher to shunt more folks onto smaller vehicles or public transit. This isn’t a cannabis vs alcohol debate despite the framing as such: it’s a debate over how many people should be allowed to drive at all, and to what degree we hold them accountable to ensure good behavior.