(Washington) Driver charged with DUI Marijuana after deadly crash in Vancouver

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http://www.kptv.com/story/20368360/driver-charged-with-dui-marijuana-after-deadly-crash-in-vancouver

VANCOUVER, WA (KPTV) -
The Vancouver Police Department arrested a man for Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana in connection with a deadly crash in Vancouver.

Police believe this is the first deadly crash involving marijuana since it became legal in Washington. >> See Photos

Investigators said the driver hit and killed a pedestrian around 5:50 p.m. on East Mill Plain Boulevard and Andresen Road.

Police say the victim, a male in his 50's, was believed to be walking back from Safeway and stepped out into the middle of traffic.

The driver, Scotty Rowles, was driving westbound on East Mill Plain Boulevard and could not stop his car in time, according to police.

Detectives says Rowles cooperated with the investigation, but after interviewing him they determined there was enough evidence to arrest him on suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana.

Police believe this is the first traffic fatality involving the drug, since it became legal in the state of Washington.

Police say the victim was close to two different lit and controlled intersections, but chose to step out into the middle of traffic, which would clearly put him at fault.

However, because Rowles was believed to be under the influence of marijuana, Washington State law says he is technically at fault, according to police.

While it may now be legal to smoke marijuana in the state of Washington, police say it is never legal to smoke it and then get behind the wheel.

The victim's ID will be released after police notify his family.

http://www.kptv.com/story/20368360/driver-charged-with-dui-marijuana-after-deadly-crash-in-vancouver
 
This is not the "real" Vancouver, it's the fake one in WA state. <g>

Not sure how much blame you should put on the driver. I know lots of sober people that would hit someone if they walked into traffic unexpectedly. DUI laws are wierd.
 
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Hopefully this guy gets out of it. I knew of this guy back home that was slightly over .08 and was driving around dusk. A little girl ran out into the road and he couldn't stop in time. Since he was technically over the limit, he got charged with vehicular homicide. Not sure the end result but I doubt it was good for the guy.
 
Um, so yeah. THIS IS WHY I WAS OPPOSED TO I-502!!!


It could be VERY possible that this driver hadn't smoked for hours, maybe even a few days, but was still able to have it caught in his system in higher amounts. Hopefully he doesn't get in too much trouble, but I have a feeling they will try and make an example of him.
 
I bet you this is just the beginning of a law enforcement campaign to manafacture stories that make marijuana look like a dangerous drug!
 
DUI laws are kinda weird in the aspect that the person who is suspected of being intoxicated gets the ticket. You could have some jackass cut you off and if you are unable to stop and hit that car, it's your fault even if he was driving like an idiot. That's how it works in Florida anyway.
With car vs. pedestrian, the person on foot has the right of way. This is a generalization of course, even though this guy was jaywalking and should have used the crosswalk.
 
^Yeah, but now it's gonna be more about showing that legalization was a bad idea, and that deaths and crimes are occuring as a direct result of legalization...

that's what I meant to say....there's a lot of people that don't use any recreational substances that have a sense of being morally superior because of that...Whether or not somebody uses drugs is not a good indicator of what kind of person they are but the people in these states that opposed legalization are inevitably going to look to prove themselves right! Law-enforcement types have to be right at the top of the list of the kind of people that opposed these measures....

does this mean that anytime somebody gets in trouble for anything in WA with marijuana in their system, we're gonna blame the marijuana? This is where they might be going with this.
 
Here's the problem with how long cannabis stays in your system. He might not of even been high at the time of the accident, there's no way to tell how it was affecting him or not. But like the above poster says, he's still responsible for his actions. If you're going to smoke drugs and also want to drive, expect the consequences if you get into an accident.
 
trip.more said:
Guy deserves the charge he got, doing drugs and driving should be illegal.
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All drugs? What about caffeine? What about nicotine? Or did you just mean to refer to drugs that you don't personally like?

And did you know that cannabis metabolites can show up in a test a month after someone smokes weed?

Is it possible that you are oversimplifying things a bit?
 
slimvictor said:
And did you know that cannabis metabolites can show up in a test a month after someone smokes weed?
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that only for people who are chronic daily smokers? In my experience, as someone who would smoke infrequently or on special occasions, I have been able to pass drug tests within 5-7 days after smoking. This makes it hard for prosecutors to determine his state of mind at the time of the crash. For all we know, he could of been blazed out of his mind when he hit this guy, how do they prove he was or wasn't ?

Still, stoners shouldn't be able to use the defense "it was a month ago since I last smoked!" and get away with it if they were truly high at the time of a crash. If you think cannabis metabolites are in your system that could be affecting your decision making or judgement, maybe you shouldn't be driving, or accept the risk. Caffeine and nicotine don't slow down your reaction time or cloud your thinking like pot does. Just my 2 cents.
 
lol i used to be very pro-pot legalization for recreational use, but i have realized that will probably only cause an increase of accidents like this one. here in minnesota i hope pot is never legalized for recreation, medical use is a different situation, but i dont feel safe trusting a bunch of stoners thinking its ok to drive around high.
 
While I agree doing drugs while driving is a bad idea I don't see how making it legal will have even the slightest effects on accidents. I live in Florida and even though our marijuana laws are worse than the federal ones that doesn't magically stop countless people driving while stoned every day of the year nor did Washington's laws have any impact before it became legal in the state. The fact that the media will be running more stories about it which may make it seem like they are increasing.
 
Tromps said:
lol i used to be very pro-pot legalization for recreational use, but i have realized that will probably only cause an increase of accidents like this one. here in minnesota i hope pot is never legalized for recreation, medical use is a different situation, but i dont feel safe trusting a bunch of stoners thinking its ok to drive around high.
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why do you trust someone with a medical card to drive high but not anyone else?
 
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