19 percent of teens say they have driven after smoking marijuana

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Andrea K. Walker - The Baltimore Sun




Teenagers are driving after smoking weed and many don't think there is any danger in doing so, according to a new survey.

The survey by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions found that 19 percent of teen drivers said they have driven under the influence of marijuana.

More teens are driving after smoking weed than after drinking. Just 13 percent of teens surveyed said they had driven after drinking

Liberty Mutual and SADD said the study, which they have regularly conducted since 2000, highlights a dangerous misconception by teens many teens who don’t consider marijuana a an obstacle to driving. More than one-third of teens who have driven after using marijuana say the drug does not affect their driving.

The researchers said that is far from the truth.

“Marijuana affects memory, judgment, and perception and can lead to poor decisions when a teen under the influence of this or other drugs gets behind the wheel of a car,” said Stephen Wallace, senior advisor for policy, research, and education at SADD. “What keeps me up at night is that this data reflects a dangerous trend toward the acceptance of marijuana and other substances compared to our study of teens conducted just two years ago.”

Teens attitudes about marijuana have changed in recent years. In 2009, 78 percent of teens were at the other end of the spectrum and thought that marijuana was “very” or “extremely” distracting to their driving. The most recent study two years found the percentage ofteens who felt this high level of concern declined to 70 percent.

[FBD]

I dont drive while high because it kills my buzz

[Acid Trip]

I don't drive high anymore. I used to but I wasn't exactly responsible when I was younger.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Its better then driving drunk, but still not a god idea

[Godfather]

I probably did it a couple times in college. Stupid and no excuse... but it was two blocks to the corner store and I don't think I ever got out of first gear

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Its better then driving drunk

I disagree...under the influence is under the influence, period.

[Acid Trip]

I disagree...under the influence is under the influence, period.

I disagree with your disagreement and raise you 2 disagreements.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

agreed

[Godfather]

I disagree...under the influence is under the influence, period.

I agree. Varying degrees of driving under the influence aren't better than one another. I read recently that your impairment is dinged for 3 hours after you smoke.

[FBD]

Do they have similar restriction for...oh, xanax? or other "benign shit?" Just because "UI" is UI, doesnt mean that all impairments are on equal footing.

[Godfather]

Do they have similar restriction for...oh, xanax? or other "benign shit?" Just because "UI" is UI, doesnt mean that all impairments are on equal footing.

Nobody here said they shouldn't... tens of thousands of people die every year in traffic accidents already. Driving is dangerous enough as it is before people pop or smoke or drink something and get behind the wheel.

Personally I'm all for legalizing weed and I drink... but at the same time I'm all for more strict rules surrounding all type of impaired driving.

[Hal-9000]

There's all sorts of levels of impaired driving...booze hits your body the strongest physically, followed by prescription meds and then weed.

Being someone who has been under the influence of all 3 and driven afterwards, none do you any favors

I've only driven drunk once and that was too much for me.

[Joebob034]

I may have done this once or twice

[Hal-9000]

I was in a room with some snowboarders and I think they were smoking American cigarettes ( it smelled funny ) and later I remember feeling funny so I stopped off and got a gallon of Chunky Monkey and ate it without a spoon....while driving

[KevinD]

I drove most of the 80's while stoned. Lighting one up was the first thing we'd do after getting in a car.