Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Substance abuse is a key component to the problems that we face today as a society. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("Alcohol-Impaired Driving", 2009) in 2009, 32% of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States were due to alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Surveys were also conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Compton, & Berning, 2009) so researchers were able to estimate not only the prevalence of drinking and driving, but for the first time they were also able to collect data on the number of drivers who were under the influence of drugs that impaired their abilities. In this data, it was found that 16% of weekend night time drivers tested positive for impairing drugs, in contrast to the 2% of drivers who were at the legal alcohol limit; making drugs 7 times more prevalent. These statistics show that “drugged” driving is a concern for not only law enforcement but also puts other drivers at risk of becoming a part of future statistics.

First off, I do not drink. Yet, I’ve had many experiences relating to drinking and driving through my friends. One thing I’ve noticed is that it is extremely hard for people to tell if they are legally drunk or not. Furthermore, I have never heard any

Driving under the influence has affected many people's lives and families. Today I would like to talk to you about the problems of drinking and driving, and why it is a concern for all of us. Driving under the influence is one of the most common and dangerous situations you can put yourself or someone else in. The fact is that drinking and driving is a huge deal and can leave a long trail of broken dreams and hearts. If you drink and drive, not only are you putting yourself at risk, but your passengers and the pedestrians outside of your vehicle. According to the most recent statistics by the National Commission Against Drunk Driving states that 17,000 Americans die each year in alcohol- related traffic crashes and 600,000 Americans

Driving under the influence is measured by a person’s blood alcohol level (BAC). BAC is determined by the concentration of alcohol in the bloodstream. Individual counties and states have their own legal level on blood alcohol percentages that they measure a person’s

“In the hands of an impaired driver, a vehicle becomes a murderous weapon.” ( ) Everyone can think of someone who has driven impaired, or even maybe you have done it yourself. The fact that one can think of someone who has driven impaired is a problem. Too many people are getting behind the wheel after drinking, smoking; or are not paying attention while they drive. Impaired driving continues to a problem although strides have been made to make a difference. There are many different types of impaired driving, each that have their own consequences. These types, and consequences will be explored in this essay.

Drug-impaired driving is becoming a much more common issue on Canada's streets, and the number of people driving after taking drugs is greater than those who drive after drinking. Regardless of public perception that drugs may be less harmful to drivers, evidence is growing that drug impairment contributes to collisions. Roadside saliva tests have become more accurate and cost-effective in recent years, particularly for the most commonly-used drugs. Drugs can cause you not to think through decisions before making them. When under the influence you have control over your body and who knows what would happen, it could be as extensive as waking up in the hospital or not waking up at all. The consequences are the same for drinking and driving pretty much.

Colorado law outlines driving under the influence, driving while impaired, and driving with excessive alcoholic content in C.R.S. § 42-4-1301. Furthermore, pursuant to C.R.S. § 42-4-1301.1 any person who drives a motor vehicle on the streets of Colorado has expressly consented to cooperating in the taking and completing of any test or tests of breath or blood to determine or estimate his or her blood alcohol content (“BAC”) if directed by a law enforcement officer who has probable cause to believe the person was driving under the influence or impaired as defined in C.R.S. § 42-4-1031. As such, in situations where alcohol may be involved an officer is required to have probable cause to request a driver to submit to a breath or blood test for BAC. The standard of “probable cause to require a test” is defined as an officer's belief “the person was driving a motor vehicle” while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. See C.R.S. § 42-4-1301.1(2)(a)(I).

When people are pulled over for suspicion of driving under the influence the first thing an officer should offer the violator is the three standardized field sobriety tests. The first of which is the Horizontal Gaze and Nystagmus, which is the involuntary jerking of the eyes this occurs when the eyes move to the side (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website). When a person has consumed alcohol, the nystagmus will be exaggerated and occur at lesser angles depending on what degree of impairment that the violator is (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website). Arguably, these tests are to be performed in a standardized manor, meaning that this test, the Horizontal Gaze and Nystagmus and the other tests are to be performed the same way every time just as the officer was trained and as the tests are intended to be performed to achieve the most accurate result

Why Medical Cannabis is still federally banned? Well Marijuana has been illegal since the 1950’s, due to the enactment of federal laws like the “Narcotics management Act of 1956” that set necessary sentences that relate to drug-related offenses, as well as marijuana. A Montana grower is now in prison. “Chris Willams a Medical Marijuana grower in Montana now faces the rest of his life in prison because a Medical Marijuana law was canceled.”This law didn't include the medical use of Marijuana. I believe Medical Marijuana ought to be legal below tax and distributed to only patients with treatable diseases.

Although these tests are not 100% accurate, they give lead to the officer in which other test can be performed. Therefore, these tests do help in determining whether or not impairment exists in an individual. According to the finding, the female driver was infect intoxicated to the point that she could not properly operate a vehicle at the time of the traffic

According to the article, 3.9% of drivers at night, drive under the influence of prescription drugs. Benzodiazepines and opiates are the most

    One major obstacle in marijuana’s path to legalization is that there are no road tests for the amount of marijuana a person has in their system (Migoya 3-4). While there is not yet a standard for a safe amount of marijuana in one’s system, all police officers are trained to detect drug use, an ability they can put to use on potentially intoxicated drivers (Puente 5). More recently, however, there have been police officers trained further than the standard, receiving the title ‘drug recognition expert.’ They go through more extensive training, and if they believe a driver is being impaired by substance use, “the person can be asked to undergo a specialized 12-step field sobriety test designed for people under the influence of drugs” (Puente 2). Since tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a chemical compound found in marijuana, can be detected in a person's system from prior use, even if they are no longer under the influence, a mouth swab test known as the Dräger 5000 tests only for active THC compounds, in addition to six other drugs, so that a police officer can know for sure if a driver is intoxicated

In 2013, a total 0f 1,149 children 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes (“Drinking Under the Influence”). Of those 1,149 fatalities, 200 occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes (“Drinking Under the Influence). Out of those 200 deaths were occupants of vehicles with drivers who had BACS of .08 or higher, and another 29 children were pedestrians struck by the drunk drivers (“Drinking Under the Influence”). Every 51 minutes in America, someone is killed in a drunk driving crash. That equates to 27 people every day (“Drinking Under the Influence”). According to the law in all 50 U.S. states, a driver is considered to be legally drunk when his or her blood alcohol content (BAC) level is at or above .08 grams (“Drunk Driving”). A felony is come upon if anyone gets hurt while being drunk or having alcohol in someone’s system (“Drinking Under the Influence”). The ironic problem is that most often the drunk driver never gets hurt or injured during the

The motorist in the video Top 3 Sobriety Tests No. 2 aroused the officer's suspicion when her car was veering between lanes the highway. When stopped, the motorist seemed uncertain of what she was doing and where she was. "I don't know," she replied when asked how much she had to drink. She was barely able to put the car in park and seemed more concerned about tying her shoelaces than the test or her serious situation. Questions which often arise when determining if someone is driving under the influence are: "Does the person answer the officer's question or exhibit a stream of consciousness talking that bears no relation to the question? Does the person appear to be disheveled or unable to stay alert?" (Gaensslen, R.E., & Larsen 2010: 122). The woman in the video exhibited all of these 'red flag' signs. However, the officer's use of the field sobriety tests indicates that even when intoxication may seem 'obvious' it is still necessary to establish DUI with objective sources of information. The ability of the driver to perform the tests assigned

Undoubtedly, the legal limit for drinking while driving desperately must be reconsidered. Driving after consuming any amount of alcohol is negligent and hazardous. The concern of drinking and driving is a state law; therefore, the rules and laws may vary among the states. Regardless, drinking while driving is an enormous concern in all 50 states and getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after consuming any amount of alcohol should not be tolerated under any circumstances. “The amount of alcohol in the bloodstream is called Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). It is measured in milligrams percent. In most states, drinkers are presumed to be legally impaired if they have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher. This is the same as one drop of alcohol in 1,200 drops of blood. While this may seem a small amount to worry about, a blood alcohol concentration of 0.30 can cause a person to go into a coma, while a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.40 could easily kill you” (Chaves County DWI Program). A surprising statistic to most people is, on average about three drinks will put an individual over the legal limit. One drink is considered 12oz beer, 3oz of wine, and 1oz of hard liquor (Arizona Department of Public Safety). Many people get behind the wheel, after having just a few drinks, believing that they have