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> Can't you make this same argument with alcohol? Other commentators are pointing out and linking to sources that explain how the tolerance bio-mechanisms are

> Can't you make this same argument with alcohol? Other commentators are pointing out and linking to sources that explain how the tolerance bio-mechanisms are very different between alcohol and marijuana. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison that happen to use the same word "tolerance." > So how exactly would you propose states move forward with allowing people to consume THC and operate vehicles And that is the conundrum, ain't it? At the very least, the HN crowd is saying "don't take an approach that works well for A but not for B, and apply it to B anyways because it's an easy thing that makes your re-election campaign look like you're doing something instead of having the difficult, nuanced discussion of what IS the right enforcement model for something new." The risk is these things tend to get cemented in once they're passed. We already did that once with marijuana when we scheduled it more dangerous than methamphetamine, fentanyl, and diazepam. But hey, that scheduling sure did win Nixon the political points he was looking for...

xienze 1y ago
> Other commentators are pointing out and linking to sources that explain how the tolerance bio-mechanisms are very different between alcohol and marijuana. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison. Yes I've seen that but I have a HARD time believing that two or three beers affects an alcoholic the same as it affects someone who drinks once a month. Alcohol tolerance is also a thing, why are people suggesting it isn't? > The risk is these things tend to get cemented in once they're passed. Yes but, it sounds like you have to have some sort of test for this, lest it turns into an "officer discretion" kind of thing since there's no reliable way to measure intoxication. Otherwise, it basically sounds like you can get as high as you want and no one can possibly charge you with DUI because of "you can't prove how long ago I took it" or "I have a tolerance, it doesn't affect me" (which totally does not fly as an argument in court with alcohol).
- deleted 1y ago
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- rafram 1y ago
  Alcohol tolerance doesn't meaningfully affect reaction time. We use the same word ("tolerance") for alcohol and marijuana, but the mechanisms are quite different.
  - xienze 1y ago
    Are you suggesting that two people, same weight, same metabolism, but one is a lifelong alcoholic and the other a once-per-month drinker — if they both have three or four drinks, the alcoholic would be just as impaired as the other person? I doubt that. The whole “functioning” part of “functioning alcoholic” implies that the alcoholic is able to, well, function in a manner a normal person wouldn’t if they had been drinking as heavily.
    - lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 1y ago
      > The whole “functioning” part of “functioning alcoholic” implies that the alcoholic is able to, well, function in a manner a normal person wouldn’t if they had been drinking as heavily. Well, It's like "functioning" in "high-functioning autism"; it's speaks to how well they can function in society, not how well they can operate a motor vehicle (nor anything to do with reaction times).
    - rafram 1y ago
      If they had the same BAC, yes. It may not make intuitive sense, but that’s just how alcohol tolerance works. The slow reaction times don’t go away. Alcohol in the bloodstream has a direct effect on your brain’s neural pathways that you can’t develop a resistance to.
      - mothballed 1y ago
        Slower reaction times might not go away, but is there evidence you can't get better at handling slower reaction times? Practice generally improves performance in most tasks, I would presume someone with no experience at increased reaction times for instance would perform worse than someone experienced in it.

xienze 1y ago

> Other commentators are pointing out and linking to sources that explain how the tolerance bio-mechanisms are very different between alcohol and marijuana. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison. Yes I've seen that but I have a HARD time believing that two or three beers affects an alcoholic the same as it affects someone who drinks once a month. Alcohol tolerance is also a thing, why are people suggesting it isn't? > The risk is these things tend to get cemented in once they're passed. Yes but, it sounds like you have to have some sort of test for this, lest it turns into an "officer discretion" kind of thing since there's no reliable way to measure intoxication. Otherwise, it basically sounds like you can get as high as you want and no one can possibly charge you with DUI because of "you can't prove how long ago I took it" or "I have a tolerance, it doesn't affect me" (which totally does not fly as an argument in court with alcohol).

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
rafram 1y ago
Alcohol tolerance doesn't meaningfully affect reaction time. We use the same word ("tolerance") for alcohol and marijuana, but the mechanisms are quite different.
- xienze 1y ago
  Are you suggesting that two people, same weight, same metabolism, but one is a lifelong alcoholic and the other a once-per-month drinker — if they both have three or four drinks, the alcoholic would be just as impaired as the other person? I doubt that. The whole “functioning” part of “functioning alcoholic” implies that the alcoholic is able to, well, function in a manner a normal person wouldn’t if they had been drinking as heavily.
  - lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 1y ago
    > The whole “functioning” part of “functioning alcoholic” implies that the alcoholic is able to, well, function in a manner a normal person wouldn’t if they had been drinking as heavily. Well, It's like "functioning" in "high-functioning autism"; it's speaks to how well they can function in society, not how well they can operate a motor vehicle (nor anything to do with reaction times).
  - rafram 1y ago
    If they had the same BAC, yes. It may not make intuitive sense, but that’s just how alcohol tolerance works. The slow reaction times don’t go away. Alcohol in the bloodstream has a direct effect on your brain’s neural pathways that you can’t develop a resistance to.
    - mothballed 1y ago
      Slower reaction times might not go away, but is there evidence you can't get better at handling slower reaction times? Practice generally improves performance in most tasks, I would presume someone with no experience at increased reaction times for instance would perform worse than someone experienced in it.