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Does cannabis make a difference to your reaction time?

Blowmonkey said:
^^ huh..?

This was merely an attempt at dissin the US, cos honestly the amount of paranoya(sp?) i see from you guys over there is ridiculous these days.We really should be mroe worried about drinking n driving than when being high n driving, you admitted yourself theres a big difference.


And as for that other comment, yes it just might well say 'may' but that still causes people to overreact, like you guys have done, like i said everyone is diffferent and maybe(notice the word 'maybe') the dope you get isnt as good as some other persons might have and that could be the reason for a slower reaction time than normal?Just a theory.
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Overreaction is sometimes a good thing, when it comes to driving under the influence a bit of overreaction is always necessary (because the majority does not give a fuck, as seen in this thread) to convince people otherwise.. My point only was that it's Cannabis that's discussed here and a comparison between Alcohol and Cannabis is just completely off track.. While drunks cannot function normally, potheads can, it's only their reaction time that "may" work a bit slower what surely isn't preferred when driving.
 
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^^^^
Well, as regards your last example BM, generally if you have to hit the brakes really fast (as you say) then you are probably driving without due care and attention in the first place, and a cautious stoner by definition is driving with lots of attention...
but so as you know exactly where I am coming from. Of course I am not advocating getting wrecked on any drug and then getting in a car. What I am saying is that to be gently stoned most days is a natural part of many peoples lives, and like it or not these people drive.
All those studies quoted are flawed for various reasons, mainly because of the inability to measure the amount of THC in someone's bloodstream at the time. But of course I accept that someone very stoned will have slowed reaction times. However, life is not that black and white. As I mentioned, there are thousands if not millions worldwide driving around stoned each day, completely used to it and driving well.
One more example. What of the addict (you choose the drug, except alcohol) who cannot physically and mentally get it together to drive while they are in need of their chosen 'hit'. Is it better to drive with them 'sober' but craving beyond belief (but perfectly legal no matter how dangerous), or after the hit(ok lets call it heroin then) when they are together again? I know which I'd choose. Things aren't black and white my friend.
 
What are your driving skills like......

when you have been smoking weed???? Do you think you drive better straight or after having a few bongs, or after a joint????

I only ask this, because last night after having a session after work, with my s/o, we jump in the car to go and get something to eat. While we are driving we stop at a red light, after talking a bit, we just drift off into our own world, and my s/o puts his foot on the accelorator, mind you the light is still red, and drives right through the middle of turning traffic, we are lucky we didn't have an accident. It really scared me and made me think, because the same thing happen to me a few years ago, we were driving to the city, smoking a joint and I drive right through a red light after actually being stopped there for a while.

Until yesterday, I always thought that the weed made me more aware of my surrounding when I was driving, obviously not!!!! 8)

Has this or any other road accidents happen to people while being stoned????
 
I've driven "under the influence" of marijauna. Many, many, many, many, times and I've never had a problem.

When I just drove to Idaho I was astonished to hear that you can't get busted for a DUII in that state for being stoned while driving. I agree, personally I don't think it "impairs" me in way that affects my driving. Hell, they let 90 year old people and mentally ill cats drive. I know a stoner is safer then them.
 
Look here.

This is what I wrote last time:

since no one has said it yet: DON'T FUCKING SMOKE AND DRIVE

If the legalization movement wants to have ANY chance in the US, this has to be a sticking point.
 
yeah agreed... its a fact that your reaction time will be in some way impaired by weed, if not then you aren't stoned, anyways inebriation+driving=idiotic and risky to the "innocent law abiders". sorry but i will never buy the "i drive just as well or better" story its bullshit.
 
well most of the time i feel "in the zone" when im high and driving, but i often find my mind drifting off to other places, which definately isnt good because countless times ive done stupid shit driving high that wouldnt have otherwise happened.
 
it depends on how much i smoke, but most of the time if i'm not completely stoned i drive good because im more cautious or mabye thats just called paranoia :p
 
it's pretty classic how many people will argue their case for driving while high with such passion and vigor. it's like smokers who'll argue against the health problems smoking causes because they don't notice them 8o
the thing with driving, under the influence or not, is everything will be fine if you're driving cautiously or even dangerously and the road/traffic conditions don't change. but there are so many things you can't avoid on the road. whether that be a pedestrian stepping out in front of your car, a car pulling in front of you and stopping suddenly or even a car hitting you. in those circumstances it doesn't matter how cautious you're driving or how much you're concentrating, in the end it comes down to reaction. what reaction you have and the time it takes. and when you're under the influence of anything you're reaction choice and time are distorted.
you may react wrong, or not in time and kill another human being. you may also react correctly, in time and everyone walks away from the incident. either of these can occur whether you're high or not. there's nothing saying that just because you're not under the influence that you will react like a pro and save all concerned, not at all. but it's proven that compared to your normal state, when under the influence of anything you're perceptions and reactions are distorted. personally, when it comes to another human beings life i'd rather enjoy being able to sleep knowing that i did all in my power to avoid an accident, than lay there wondering if i wasn't stoned would i have been able to stop.
 
I rather have a stoner driving behind me over a drunk, cell phone user, tired person, mentally disturbed person or someone on perscription narcotics.

Marijuana is too benign and falls too far into a grey area for anyone to even give a shit about.

Where I live, if I get pulled over and submit a UA that tests positive for herb I'm DUI. Even if I smoked it a week ago. When am I no longer "stoned"? There's something wrong when I can have a legal level of alcohol in my bloodstream and operate a vehicle, but if I hit a joint I'm DUII for the next 3 months.
 
i posted this elsewhere. i think it's relevant here:

have you seen this (as usual, spot-on satire from 'the onion'):

http://www.theonion.com/3949/tips.html

it might just as easily say:

"Don't get stoned and drive. Disregard this if you happen to be one of those people who drive better stoned."

can you take a step back and consider just how silly people sometimes sound when they protest vehemently they drive "better" when under the influence of a mind-altering chemical?

(related reading Those damn Truth Marijuna commericals)

alasdair
 
for me cannabis does fuck up my reaction time if i smoke a good bit, but a regular dose for me dosent...

like i smoke 8 hits of mid-grade and have a decent stone than no, but if i smoke a 2 gram blunt of cronic then yes it does.
 
MaliceNwunderland said:
I rather have a stoner driving behind me over a drunk, cell phone user, tired person, mentally disturbed person or someone on perscription narcotics.
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the relative danger of driving stoned compared to driving drunk/tired/whatever does not lessen the absolute effect that driving stoned has on one's driving.

the fact that drunk driving is dangerous is, essentially, irrelevant to the discussion, isn't it?

would you feel comfortable on a transatlantic 747 knowing that the pilot is stoned?

alasdair
 
a little bump..

alasdairm said:
would you feel comfortable on a transatlantic 747 knowing that the pilot is stoned?
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Everybody who does raise your hand.. =D
 
I find that if you were to drive a car under the influence of marijuana, your senses are increased... You are more careful than you would if you were not under the influence. Marijuana can be good for some people... for me it increases all five of my senses and gives me a sixth sense of "know what happens before it happens" kind of thing... Nice thread.
 
alasdairm said:
the relative danger of driving stoned compared to driving drunk/tired/whatever does not lessen the absolute effect that driving stoned has on one's driving.
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I don't know about you, but I just can't hang with that brand of hypocrisy. I will agree that driving stoned MAY be more dangerous then driving sober. (Then again, tell that to a Glaucoma patient receiving medical marijuana treatments. I'd say thier driving skills would most likely be improved greatly. Whats better? Blind drivers or stoned drivers.)

How can you define risk without comparison? Yes, I would prefer the sober airline pilot over a stoned one, but I can't deny the fact that I would prefer a stoned pilot over a crazy/drunk/tripping one.
 
That's because we already have a long discussion about driving high, threads called; does cannabis make a difference to your reaction time, but doesn't matter, I'll just merge the two. Thanks for that additional link, more proof.. :)
 
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