Where is the outrage?

[TSandM]

As I helped to hold down the violent, out of control patient with the blood alcohol of 275 night before last, I observed to the room at large that I had never had to restrain someone from smoking too much marijuana. Nor have I seen someone stab or shoot someone else, or themselves, because they were stoned. Nor have I seen a lethal automobile accident because someone was driving under the influence of marijuana (I can imagine it could happen, though.)

We make illegal drugs which are relatively harmless, and have such minimal consequences to the mis- and overuse of a drug which has major deleterious effects on the body and mind. I don't understand it. (And I'm very fond of good wines, so I'm not arguing for Prohibition to come back. I just think that legal penalties for doing ANYTHING that hurts somebody when you're drunk should be like the felony murder law. If you were drunk and you hurt somebody, it's murder.)

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Hemp is illegal because of the powerful tobacco lobby, years and years ago. That's honestly the only reason, and I agree with your observations for the very same reasons, TSandM. I've said the very same thing myself, several times, and in the same situations. Working in a military emergency room, restraining drunks ends up being one of those facts of life, every Friday night... Sheesh...

Although I no longer partake of the herb, I think it's just silly and stupid that it's still illegal and still demonized.

 

[Peter Guy]

Why is there no outrage? At least for me the answer is:

There but for the Grace of God go I.

At one time in my life I prosecuted "drunk drivers" and then later I represented them. There were two kinds -- the "professionals" that is, the alcoholics, and the "There but for the Grace" people. There really is little we can do for the "professionals" and education IS working for the "There but" types (designated drivers, calling cabs from dinner parties, etc.).

BTW, I think you are wrong on your basic assumption, there appears to be plenty of outrage -- it just typically isn't very useful.

 

[lamont]

One thing I honestly don't know is how my BAC corresponds to my perceived level of being drunk. I know that when I've been drinking a little and gotten a buzz I need to drink water until I hit a certain point where the fuzziness abruptly goes away and I suddenly feel unpleasantly sober before I drive. I'd estimate that this is below a BAC of 0.05 or so based on how the mythbusters guys behaved when they got drunk and were blowing above 0.08 on the show and I think that I've got plenty of room between my "safe to drive" levels and the legal systems "safe to drive" level of 0.08 -- but I don't actually know...

 

[Cacia]

I've been hit head on and hospitalized twice, by drunk drivers.

They outrage me.

recently, this friend of my daughter's best friend's father, a very slick Ivy League lawyer, gave his daughter a breathalizer for her 17th birthday. I though it was kind of tacky, and she forgot it at my house on a sleep over. Well, for an entire week, everybody at my house played with the thing. I now think it is very educational. Most people have no idea what .08 feels like, when you are around the limit, etc. I told JB he should get one for his young Marines as an awareness exercise for the battery. Those 19 year olds away from home for the first time need to THINK a bit.

I would have a glass of wine while cooking dinner, with various amounts of nibbles, time intervals, etc and think "oh.. I wonder what I am now" I think teenagers, who have even less life/drinking experience, should have one of these devices. They are naturally curious and so this is an effective way to increase awareness without preaching.
I must say, I know almost every 17, 18 year old out there is ocassionally sneaking beers, but I know for a fact they have gotten the message about designated drivers. I know I am looser about curfews and overlook who sleeps where on prom night a bit, out of a desire to ensure they are not on the road. I worry about it way more than "somebody somewhere might have sex."

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

If I've had more than one drink, I don't drive. Period.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

Hemp is illegal because of the powerful tobacco lobby, years and years ago. That's honestly the only reason, and I agree with your observations for the very same reasons, TSandM. I've said the very same thing myself, several times, and in the same situations. Working in a military emergency room, restraining drunks ends up being one of those facts of life, every Friday night... Sheesh...

Although I no longer partake of the herb, I think it's just silly and stupid that it's still illegal and still demonized.

It's "demonized" because noone smokes the weed without the intent of getting high; however there are plenty of folks who drink and do so responsibly. Not to mention that folks who think they do "whatever" so much better when stoned are fooling themselves as deeply as those who think they can function perfectly well when narced.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Why can't there be people who smoke and do so responsibly? In fact, I know several. They are corporate types, lawyers, doctors... After the kids are in bed, they go out on the back deck and light up. They aren't going out and driving or endangering anyone. I take the libertarian view, that whatever consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes, so long as they aren't harming anyone else, is no one's business but their own.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

Why can't there be people who smoke and do so responsibly? In fact, I know several. They are corporate types, lawyers, doctors... After the kids are in bed, they go out on the back deck and light up. They aren't going out and driving or endangering anyone. I take the libertarian view, that whatever consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes, so long as they aren't harming anyone else, is no one's business but their own.

Responsible or not, it's still illegal. And that's a great lesson for the kiddies to learn; "Oh, those laws are meant for irresponsible people" :11:

 

[Cacia]

I think it's just silly and stupid that it's still illegal and still demonized.

Recently these studies have come out about the brain damage to kids in the developmental stages of the teen years. hey...I have been around pot my whole life, and I can honestly say the regular pot smokers get dumber every year I know them. I like pot smokers, I just don't want to be one. Some of them don't have two neurons still talking to each other.

I know lots of people who smoke weed, I just don't need a monkey on my back. Even though it is *kinda fun*...drugs are just a bad deal. And I figured that out just from watching people, and having an open mind.

Once you start playing with your brain chemistry, you are no longer calibrated right, however subtle.