If it were legal, I might consider driving entirely on weed. When I'm completely "sober" I'm a terrible driver. As much as I try to prevent it, my thoughts wander and I miss more traffic signs than I take notice of.
Matt_Himself said:
Gotta get home, stay straight, I can do this, hmm, that song on the radio is good, I wonder if theyll play around here, hmm I like to play instruments, I wish I could play piano better, maybe Ill take some lessons, that wouldnt be so bad if I wasnt so busy and... OH FUCK IM MOVING AT 40MPH!
This is exactly what happens when I
haven't smoked weed. The short periods of time when I'm actually thinking about driving, I'm left wondering what the speed limit is, since I wasn't paying attention the last few miles. I haven't driven in months, and when I do it's when it's absolutely necessary because it scares the shit out of me. Being that now I'm aware of what I do, I end up obsessively looking at the speedometer, but even that ends up lost amongst my thoughts (like checking your watch only to realize afterward you still don't know the time since it was just a reflex and didn't really register).
If this weren't dangerous enough, I tend to get irritated (wrongly) when another car honks at me, or cuts in front of me, because it brings my focus back suddenly and I'm disoriented forgetting that I wasn't focused and that whatever happened was really my fault. When I was new to driving and that would happen, I'd get urges to speed and then "get back" at the other driver (revenge; how fucking stupid while driving at speeds as high as what's enough to cause a fatal accident). This was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of problems that were caused by me behind the wheel.
A few months after I got my license a situation like this arose when I was sober that actually led to an accident (unfortunately it didn't happen sooner when I was the only one in the car) that I will regret until the day I die. I don't want to go into details in an open forum like this, but let's just say this is the reason I seldom drive anymore.
Only after having smoked marijuana am I able to maintain awareness of everything necessary while driving (without being obsessive) and stay at or below the speed limit, even while listening to music. Others don't like driving with me while I'm stoned, not because I drive poorly, but rather because I tend to tune them out because I'm focusing on what's more important (i.e. their safety, by focusing on driving). My eyes even start to hurt from not blinking for periods of time because I'm extremely focused, and only then do I take notice and consciously blink.
I can't smoke weed anymore since I'm on probation, and if I don't smoke after probation, I'll probably move somewhere where I don't have to drive often. Keep in mind, marijuana keeps
me focused on driving. In Matt_Himself's case, it does the opposite. I was diagnosed with ADHD after being on probation and conventional stimulants made me much worse. Whether or not it was a valid diagnosis, I
do have difficulty maintaining anywhere near the required amount of attention necessary to drive.
If you're going to drive stoned long-term, it'd be a good idea to get a second opinion (as many as possible, actually, on different occasions) from a good driver who's not inebriated/asleep at the time. Also, don't smoke weed you've never smoked (or amounts you're not used to smoking) right before driving, even if weed generally helps. What I had at the time was probably a mid-grade hybrid (predominantly indica, it seemed), but had I switched to a sativa-dominant strain, or anything different from what I had while driving, I'd have gone through the same process again to verify I'm safe while driving stoned.
Regardless, it's against the law, so if you do choose to do it, take all the precautions necessary, and keep in mind, likes others have said, it'll come back to bite you in the ass if you do get into an accident regardless whose fault it is. Maybe once we have a better knowledge of the endocannabinoid system, different cannabinoids that remove the possibility for "slowed reaction times," etc, can be given to those with similar problems.
I would love to tell those who have a similar reaction to just use it because if it's true, it makes the road a safer place for everyone to drive. The law is against us though, so use your best judgment and overall be safe
...the acid we used to get 35 yrs ago [some of Owsley's], there's no way you could maintain. The road would turn into all different kinds of stuff & be so confusing, another innocent family on the Interstate would be killed.
....[J/K]
