Impaired Driving On Weed: An Answer
The Market Ticker ® - Commentary on The Capital Markets
Posted 2012-07-02 15:36
by Karl Denninger
in Politics
Ignore this thread
Impaired Driving On Weed: An Answer
 

Bloomberg asks:

Here’s the problem with these laws: There are questions about how, and at what level, cannabis use impairs driving ability. For a patient in one of the 17 states where marijuana has been legalized for medicinal use, how are you to know when it’s legal to drive? After consuming marijuana, should you wait 12 hours to drive or one day? When will your THC level be below the 5-nanogram threshold? The answer is complicated.

Of course it's complicated.

It's complicated for alcohol use too.  But we don't care.  We're more interested in posting up big numbers of "busts", along with the fines, forfeiture, jailings and fees that all of this police-state tactical response produces.  Roadblocks, random sobriety checkpoints and similar are more intended to "show force" than they are to actually get impaired drivers off the road.

If we manage to decrease the crash rate somewhat while applying the boot to the neck of the citizens then that's a nice side effect.

This is exactly backward.

There are already commercially-available reaction time testers that measure actual hand-eye coordination and thus impairment.  They map very well to driving ability and are roughly like a small handheld video game.

Equipping police departments with these would provide actual evidence of impairment and be cause-neutral.  Whether your impairment was caused by weed, booze, lack of sleep, prescription pills or simply old age, you either can react quickly enough to drive competently or you cannot.

The test is objective and maps to the actual skill required to operate at a reasonable level of safety. 

This means, of course, that it would "catch" a lot of people who shouldn't be on the road but are, and many of them would be caught for reasons other than "intoxication" per-se.  But this is how it should be -- we should be insisting on a basic level of ability irrespective of how it is achieved or what substance(s) you might have -- or not have -- in your body.

This has not been adopted by the States and local "peace officers" because we no longer have peace officers -- we now have "law enforcement" which is only interested in the public peace as a side effect rather than as the goal of their job.

As a nation, as a people, we can and must do better.

The jackbooted statist parties (Democrat and Republican) won't propose and work to pass this.  They clearly consider public peace a side effect rather than a goal.

But the Libertarians have no excuse in this regard.

Discussion below (registration required to post)
 

Main Navigation
Full-Text Search & Archives
Archive Access
Get Adobe Flash player





Blogtalk 3:30 CT Mondays
Items To Look At


Discuss The Capital Markets along with daily technical analysis with our Gold Donor program.

Where We Are, Where We're Heading (2013) - The annual 2013 Ticker

Links and Blogroll
Our policy on reciprocal links: Send us an email with your information and why you think your blog or news site would make a good addition - in most cases reciprocal link requests will be granted.
Seeking Alpha Certified
Legal Disclaimer

The content on this site is provided without any warranty, express or implied. All opinions expressed on this site are those of the author and may contain errors or omissions.

NO MATERIAL HERE CONSTITUTES "INVESTMENT ADVICE" NOR IS IT A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY OR SELL ANY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO STOCKS, OPTIONS, BONDS OR FUTURES.

The author may have a position in any company or security mentioned herein. Actions you undertake as a consequence of any analysis, opinion or advertisement on this site are your sole responsibility.

Looking for "The Best of Market Ticker"? Check out
Ticker Classics.

Visit the forum to discuss this and other investing-related topics; see the FAQ on the forum for information about Gold Donor status including access to our technical analysis video server.

Market charts, when present, used with permission of TD Ameritrade/ThinkOrSwim Inc. Neither TD Ameritrade or ThinkOrSwim have reviewed, approved or disapproved any content herein.

Market Ticker content may be reproduced or excerpted online provided full attribution is given and the original article source is linked to. Please contact Karl Denninger for reprint permission in other media.

Submissions may be sent "over the transom" to The Editor at any time. To be considered for publication your submission must include full and correct contact information and be related to an economic or political matter of the day. All submissions become the property of The Market Ticker.

Leads on stories of current economic and political interest are always welcome. Our fax tip line is 850-897-9364; please include contact information with your transmission.

 
Comments.......
User: Not logged on
Login Register Top Blog Top Blog Topics FAQ
Showing Page 1 of 3  First123Last
User Info Impaired Driving On Weed: An Answer in forum [Market-Ticker]
Themortgagedude
Posts: 8841
Incept: 2007-12-17
Green
saint louis
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
If you can get Halliburton exclusive rights to distribute the machine and Goldman Sachs can get the rights to a Reaction Time Credits Exchange I think we might have something here that could make it thru Congress.

----------
I'm already visualizing you with duct tape over your mouth.
Ducarius
Posts: 125
Incept: 2010-08-25
Green
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Driving safely while drunk is drastically more difficult than driving while high. Heck, in college I would get high to IMPROVE my performance in online multiplayer shooter games.

As a scientist I view alcohol and marijuana as tools and I hate being told I can't use a hammer because I might, if careless 'whack' myself or someone else with it.

Alcohol is useful for social engagement by making you more talkative, wacky and less afraid to hit on a cute girl. The downsides of alcohol are very numerous though.

Marijuana is multi-purpose (depending on the strain and grower?). Sometimes it gets people very socially talkative, other times it makes people quiet and thoughtful. It might have medicinal uses for increasing appetite, although I don't buy the idea of it relieving pain (if anything it made me much more sensitive to any stimuli). For me the good stuff was like a combination of ritilin, caffeine and a touch of lucid dreaming. In short it had very real useful intellectual applications. The downsides of marijuana might be lung damage from smoking (problem solved by vaporizers like how Scythians did it) and being more tired than usual.

Hiphopapotamus
Posts: 569
Incept: 2007-07-11
Green
Burbank, CA
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
To Karl's point, my experience is the complete opposite of Ducarius. I in no way feel remotely safe driving after smoking any amount of pot and will never attempt to do so. But I can have a drink or two and not feel impaired. Current laws do not make a distinction between how these substances affect us differently. The criteria should be your level of impairment, not what route you took to get there.
Ck_dexter
Posts: 3897
Incept: 2007-07-19
Silver
the south parlor
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
The job of a cop is not to help you as a human being. The job of a cop is to find someone to stick charges to. Everyone is fair game. Violence is fair game. Lying is fair game.


----------
"In other words, that the discussion about what is good, what is beautiful, what is noble, what is pure and what is true, could always go on. Why is that important, why would I like to do that? Because that's the only conversation worth having." Christopher Hitchens.
Shannonlk1
Posts: 108
Incept: 2008-12-02

Raleigh
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
I know a few people that are extremely better at video games while high on weed vs. when they are sober. I can not say the same for alcohol. EVERYONE i know that drinks and plays sucks when they have been drink 3 or more beers.

----------
Criminals thrive on the indulgence of Society's understanding.
Markytom
Posts: 272
Incept: 2009-02-19
Green
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Agree completely - and the same goes for red light cameras. Years ago when Houston put them in (they were voted out last year) the Chief of Police gave a speech, not addressing improving safety, reducing traffic deaths, etc., but, instead, talked mostly about how and what they were going to spend the money on from all the fines.

The primary reason for red light cameras is to generate revenue, the secondary reason may be safety, but it is more of an excuse than an objective just like random checkpoints for DUI.
Phxkevin
Posts: 353
Incept: 2010-06-25
Green
Phoenix Arizona
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
You are correct sir
Reaction time testers are more about safety, and that is not what law enforcement is about any more. (sadly)
Great post!

----------
Congress persons are all the same, republican or democrat, conservative or liberal. They talk a good game, but the results (or lack thereof) show something different.
Downrange
Posts: 5383
Incept: 2007-09-26
Green
Just Say No to RomnobamaDingDong!
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Bravo! This would remove a lot of geezers from the highway, as well.

The sheeple will never vote for something like this that "makes sense," though...

----------
"If this is how the state treats its law-abiding citizens, it doesn't deserve to have any" A. Solzhenitzen
Asimov
Posts: 103849
Incept: 2007-08-26
Gold
East Tennessee Eastern Time
Online
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
smiley

----------
It's justifiably immoral to deal morally with an immoral entity.
If you trade based on what other people say, you will lose money. Especially what I say. I won't be held responsible. Festina lente.
Noodleman
Posts: 2386
Incept: 2008-11-01

Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List


AARP would turn 'reaction time testers' in a huge crusade against senior discrimination and use it as a recruitment driver.

Yet they are quiet as church mice about ZIRP - the biggest senior abuser of all.

----------
"Ammunition beats persuasion when you are looking for freedom." Will Rogers, 4 Nov 1879 - 15 Aug 1935

Flappingeagle
Posts: 1224
Incept: 2011-04-14

Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
I agree 100% with Karl's post.


----------
Here are my predictions for everyone to see:
S&P 500 at 320, DOW at 2200, Gold $300/oz, and Corn $2/bu.
"You can't build a house of cards on a shaking table." - Tony Johns
The January 2015 AMZN put at $130 (cost $4.25) will be a winner.
Snowman
Posts: 1797
Incept: 2009-03-09
Green
avoiding yellow snow
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Agree. It doesn't matter whether or not you even use a substance. For instance, if you are sleep-deprived (e.g., doctors on-call, shift workers, transportation etc), awake for a 24 hour period, your reaction and other capabilities are on par with BAC of .10%, i.e., over the legal DWI limit. Cops should use the same
science that labs/psychologists/neurologists use to test reaction times. Ain't so difficult. And not expensive.
Asimov
Posts: 103849
Incept: 2007-08-26
Gold
East Tennessee Eastern Time
Online
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
But all those elderly people would not be punching your chad.

----------
It's justifiably immoral to deal morally with an immoral entity.
If you trade based on what other people say, you will lose money. Especially what I say. I won't be held responsible. Festina lente.
Brewcrew2
Posts: 149
Incept: 2011-02-18

New Jersey
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
It sounds like this would help get half the idiots off the road that don't belong there, because they just flat-out suck at driving. I'm all for it.
Asimov
Posts: 103849
Incept: 2007-08-26
Gold
East Tennessee Eastern Time
Online
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
I'm all for it too, but there's no way beyond a dictatorship that it would ever be implemented. Elderly vote is FAR too powerful on this subject.

----------
It's justifiably immoral to deal morally with an immoral entity.
If you trade based on what other people say, you will lose money. Especially what I say. I won't be held responsible. Festina lente.
Jstanley01
Posts: 8167
Incept: 2008-07-30
Silver A True American Patriot!
San Antonio, Texas
Online
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
The root of the problem, living in the middle of the gawd-awful suburban sprawl that makes up most of America, is that you have to get in the ****ing car and drive if you want to get anywhere other than some neighbor's bedroom. On roads where you must risk your life with all the geezers, retards and hop heads, who likewise one way or another have to drive.

Hell, nowadays in this city the districts build their schools on major arteries, for no other discernible reason than they like slowing everyone down in the school zones for four hours a day, including during Summer School. ****ing dumbasses. Build them back in the neighborhoods, so the kids CAN WALK.

----------
You can't cheat an honest man. ~P.T. Barnum
Fangz
Posts: 567
Incept: 2008-09-18
Green A True American Patriot!
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
I don't believe they could/would implement anything that could be correlated with drivings real world result. Way too many variables.

You could have a slower reaction time, but not put yourself in a position you need a faster one. Who gets to judge the breaking point? Even completely sober, all of us are capable of causing an accident (at any time). Maybe a fat person shouldn't buy a Prius, because they can't effectively drive in that tight space.

Like anything else like this, over time, the test would surely ratchet toward insanity. They'd surely even implement a % free space around the fat guy law. Then car manufacturers would have to publish car seating volume. The system would fail more an more "normal" people by today's standard. Then once the system became self aware, it would determine the only real way to prevent an accident is to keep everyone from driving. Perfect. I'll pass on spending tax dollars on this. ;-)

Could an "ability test" let a few more drunks off than the alcohol limit test? Maybe. But that is a separate debate.

End_the_bubbles
Posts: 9515
Incept: 2009-03-25
Green
The New 3rd World
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Asian drivers would vehemently fight the implementation of something so practical.
smiley

----------

In the long run even the most despotic governments with all their brutality and cruelty are no match for ideas. Eventually the ideology that has won the support of the majority will prevail and cut the ground from under the tyrant's feet and rise in rebellion to overthrow their masters.
Goforbroke
Posts: 5333
Incept: 2007-11-30
Gold A True American Patriot!
Just call me 'Comrade'
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
My husband's father, in his mid-80s, in FL, insisted on driving after his elbow had repaired from a fall. On his first trip out, he got into a right hand turn lane on a major 6-lane road (mistaking it for a normal right hand through lane), proceeded to go over a curb into a bus stop, and came to rest when his tires hit the opposite curb and popped. He could have killed one or more people.

He was NOT cited by the police for ANYTHING.

My husband had to petition the state to revoke his father's drivers license in order to prevent this from happening again.

Application of common sense simply does not exist. There are way too many other agendas out there which take precedence.

----------
We have met the enemy and it is us. -- Pogo

Ls2gto
Posts: 482
Incept: 2007-08-30
Green
East Coast
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Reaction time testers, to be followed by Attitude and Behavior Testers!
Lenguado
Posts: 1272
Incept: 2010-01-12
Gold A True American Patriot!
Orlando, FL
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Quote:
Elderly vote is FAR too powerful on this subject.

Wait a few years.

The SENIOR vote is slowly thinning out....

Not fully meant as a snarky comment. More like the actuarial statistics of "The Greatest Generation" - and the wave of the Baby Boomers....

----------
I just realized... they aren't saying, "Keynesian Economics"
they're saying "Kenyansian Economics". Grass Huts for everyone!
smiley
Welcome to history’s first Double Dip Depression
Translator
Posts: 58
Incept: 2010-07-03

Columbia Gorge
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Getting the impaired elderly off the road was the first thing that came to my mind. My mother nearly killed herself by stepping on the gas pedal when she was trying for the brake - fortunately she ran into the truck passing her parking lot exit, instead of the truck running into her in the street. She walked away, her car was totaled. My sister talked her out of using the insurance to buy another car.

Jstanley, you are right on, but the answer is for the people who can't drive to move from the burbs back into town where they can catch the bus. We don't owe them the chance to run us over. That goes for me too, 15 years from now in my dotage, presuming I'm still here with y'all.

----------
Everybody’s comprehensive list for medical care:

“I want the best medical care in the world, and I want somebody else to pay for it”
A.D.E.
Asimov
Posts: 103849
Incept: 2007-08-26
Gold
East Tennessee Eastern Time
Online
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Lenguado: No... people age all the time. The senior vote (especially on this subject) will be there unless we start killing them off at a certain age or something.

----------
It's justifiably immoral to deal morally with an immoral entity.
If you trade based on what other people say, you will lose money. Especially what I say. I won't be held responsible. Festina lente.
Goforbroke
Posts: 5333
Incept: 2007-11-30
Gold A True American Patriot!
Just call me 'Comrade'
Report This As A Bad Post Add To Your Ignored User List
Quote:
unless we start killing them off at a certain age or something
Obamacare will take care of that, but the death panels won't discriminate between the intellectually/functionally-capable and those who aren't.

----------
We have met the enemy and it is us. -- Pogo
Login Register Top Blog Top Blog Topics FAQ
Showing Page 1 of 3  First123Last