Driving While Stoned

F Me In The Brain

Living in NJ we now will have legal marijuana sales as soon as they can get the process up and running...voted last Nov, the Governor signed yesterday.

https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2021/02/murphy-signs-nj-legal-weed-bills-ending-3-year-saga.html

I do not smoke weed -- used to, but not any longer.

Have always been in favor of legalizing pot, and most drugs, largely because I do not feel people should be arrested for doing drugs when alcohol is legal and prevalent.

Voted for legalization in November.

This is not intended to be a thread about the legality of getting stoned....but more about how New Jersey, or any other state, intends to try and keep people from driving while stoned.

I will freely admit that this state barely cares about drunk driving -- I could type pages on how obvious this is -- but to date I do not believe anyone has been able to explain to me a clear method for trying to keep impaired drivers from killing others when it comes to weed.

They have a method for booze -- albeit a barely enforced one -- but at least they have one.

What are other states doing about this?

Does anyone care?

Will this being legalized result in any uptick in people driving while high?

(An advanced Get Losts to anyone who claims they are a better driver when high.  Just don't.)

Anyone consider this a worthy question to address, or do you think it is a non-issue?

ed243421

PJPOWER

I’ve heard that many states are looking at new THC detection breathalyzers and saliva tests, but not sure if any are actually using them?
If someone is in a wreck, they could court order an immediate blood test, same as with alcohol.

F Me In The Brain

Yeah, lots of jokes to be made, but wondering, for real.

My favorite "funny" driving stoned scene...

dankind

I don't think that I could manage to drive while stoned, so I don't even try. Also, though, I don't like driving at night, when it's snowing, etc., so I don't really do those things either.

I will say, however, that I do have some friends I've caught a ride from. They were high as fuck and couldn't have been more alert and safe drivers. So I'm not saying I'm a better driver while high because I just won't do it, but a few of my friends actually might be. Of course, it would help me to know for sure if I had ever ridden with these friends while they were sober, but I'm not sure that's ever happened -- or ever will.

Does that warrant a "Get Lost?"

mickeyrat

legit question as far as I'm concerned.

couple reasons why imo.

given the content of shit these days coupled with the various forms now available which hit the body different ways.

it IS intoxication, just like with certain medications( which pot is and can be) there are cautions in operating heavy machinery(cars count), so pot in my view falls under that.

given its longevity in the body, its going to have to be a fairly sophisticated testing protocol to determine in the moment impairment vs I smoked some real strong shit several days ago but havent since....

this comes from a former smoker( the one I grieved giving up almost 15 yrs ago) my work also forbids it as a safety sensitive job(trucking, cant even use hemp cbd products).

Am happy for you guys. Spark one for me.

Meltdown99

First off no one should drive stoned, drug or looped on their prescription meds...

Just remember alcohol is poison Cannabis is not...here in Ontario the government ads recommend not driving for 4 hours after cannabis use?  I have also read that 90 minutes to 2 hours is sufficient in most cases...I can smoke a joint and pretty much be sober in 90 minutes...but that’s me personally.

I can not remember reading any news stories here in Ontario involving someone on cannabis causing a major accident?  I’m sure it has happened...but if it has it certainly was not a headline grabber.

Personally, I only consume cannabis if I know I’m done driving for the day.  I need my licence.

in Ontario the police have tools to check for stoned drivers...

New OPP roadside units can detect cannabis use in drivers

https://www.intelligencer.ca/news/local-news/new-opp-roadside-units-can-detect-cannabis-use-in-drivers

oftenreading

Here's a link to FAQs about how the Canadian federal government has dealt with the issue of cannabis use and impairment

https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/sidl-rlcfa/qa2-qr2.html

Oral fluid sampling (i.e. saliva) tests can be used at the roadside and were the first screening device. A breathalyzer is now also approved for roadside use. Both are for screening purposes only - if there is suspicion of impairment due to use of THC then a blood sample is the standard and so the individual has to be taken into custody to get that. THC is cleared from the blood and saliva fairly quickly after use, making it a much more accurate test of recent use. The excuse of "I smoked some really strong shit a few days ago" wouldn't fly.

Gern Blansten

F Me In The Brain said:

Yeah, lots of jokes to be made, but wondering, for real.

My favorite "funny" driving stoned scene...

Those were shrooms though right?

Meltdown99

mickeyrat said:

legit question as far as I'm concerned.

couple reasons why imo.

given the content of shit these days coupled with the various forms now available which hit the body different ways.

it IS intoxication, just like with certain medications( which pot is and can be) there are cautions in operating heavy machinery(cars count), so pot in my view falls under that.

given its longevity in the body, its going to have to be a fairly sophisticated testing protocol to determine in the moment impairment vs I smoked some real strong shit several days ago but havent since....

this comes from a former smoker( the one I grieved giving up almost 15 yrs ago) my work also forbids it as a safety sensitive job(trucking, cant even use hemp cbd products).

Am happy for you guys. Spark one for me.

I understand the need for truckers to be sober while driving...but here in Ontario there is 0 tolerance for truckers with cannabis in their system...I call bullshit on that very flawed logic...

so basically you can stay up drinking all night and technically be sober enough to drive...but should you really be driving?  Alcohol makes you fell like shit.  I smoke a joint before bed and go sleep I wake up rested the drunk drinking till 
1 MIGHT be sober but still allowed to drive even though he feels like shit and hungover...I just love government logic.

their is a long waaaaaays to go to end the stigma.

I quit drinking completely and just consume cannabis...

mickeyrat

https://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com/how-long-does-thc-stay-in-your-system/

F Me In The Brain

dankind said:

I don't think that I could manage to drive while stoned, so I don't even try. Also, though, I don't like driving at night, when it's snowing, etc., so I don't really do those things either.

I will say, however, that I do have some friends I've caught a ride from. They were high as fuck and couldn't have been more alert and safe drivers. So I'm not saying I'm a better driver while high because I just won't do it, but a few of my friends actually might be. Of course, it would help me to know for sure if I had ever ridden with these friends while they were sober, but I'm not sure that's ever happened -- or ever will.

Does that warrant a "Get Lost?"

Get Lost!

 

I used to make that same claim - I would only drive short distances because I was sketched out about it, but I claimed to pay much closer attention, drive slower, etc...

Just not buying that it improves driving. 

F Me In The Brain

Gern Blansten said:

F Me In The Brain said:

Yeah, lots of jokes to be made, but wondering, for real.

My favorite "funny" driving stoned scene...

Those were shrooms though right?

Oh man, I thought the driver was stoned, were they all on boomers?

An excuse to re-watch, it has been too long!

F Me In The Brain

Thank you Often, Melty, for the links.  I will check them out when I have some time to read fully through, tonight.  Interested to see how it is done there and if we will look to adopt something similar.

mickeyrat

Meltdown99 said:

mickeyrat said:

legit question as far as I'm concerned.

couple reasons why imo.

given the content of shit these days coupled with the various forms now available which hit the body different ways.

it IS intoxication, just like with certain medications( which pot is and can be) there are cautions in operating heavy machinery(cars count), so pot in my view falls under that.

given its longevity in the body, its going to have to be a fairly sophisticated testing protocol to determine in the moment impairment vs I smoked some real strong shit several days ago but havent since....

this comes from a former smoker( the one I grieved giving up almost 15 yrs ago) my work also forbids it as a safety sensitive job(trucking, cant even use hemp cbd products).

Am happy for you guys. Spark one for me.

I understand the need for truckers to be sober while driving...but here in Ontario there is 0 tolerance for truckers with cannabis in their system...I call bullshit on that very flawed logic...

so basically you can stay up drinking all night and technically be sober enough to drive...but should you really be driving?  Alcohol makes you fell like shit.  I smoke a joint before bed and go sleep I wake up rested the drunk drinking till 
1 MIGHT be sober but still allowed to drive even though he feels like shit and hungover...I just love government logic.

their is a long waaaaaays to go to end the stigma.

I quit drinking completely and just consume cannabis...

in the US its 8 hrs after last drink before you can drive, fly or operate a train under tge hours of service rules.. The fact that cannabis is illegal federally means theres zero tolerance period.

Meltdown99

Scientists Still Seek A Reliable DUI Test For Marijuana

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/30/523004450/scientists-still-seek-a-reliable-dui-test-for-marijuana

There probably are no easy answers...but I do think Ontario police do a good job and l would think if the cops smell cannabis but you easily pass a roadside test, that they’d let you continue on your way....

dankind

F Me In The Brain said:

dankind said:

I don't think that I could manage to drive while stoned, so I don't even try. Also, though, I don't like driving at night, when it's snowing, etc., so I don't really do those things either.

I will say, however, that I do have some friends I've caught a ride from. They were high as fuck and couldn't have been more alert and safe drivers. So I'm not saying I'm a better driver while high because I just won't do it, but a few of my friends actually might be. Of course, it would help me to know for sure if I had ever ridden with these friends while they were sober, but I'm not sure that's ever happened -- or ever will.

Does that warrant a "Get Lost?"

Get Lost!

 

I used to make that same claim - I would only drive short distances because I was sketched out about it, but I claimed to pay much closer attention, drive slower, etc...

Just not buying that it improves driving. 

So the first time the effects of cannabis ever hit me, I was behind the wheel of my Monza on US Hwy 41 (aka the Tamiami Trail). Previously, I had smoked with my friends several times and never felt anything.

Well, one day we were leaving the pool hall, and my buddies sparked up a bowl in my car before making a Taco Bell run less than two miles away. When it came around to me, I declined at first because they were basically wasting their pot since it didn't work on me. Also, um, I was driving. Anyway, I finally caved to peer pressure and their stoner logic that if it didn't affect me, then it didn't matter if I was driving, and I wound up taking a couplefew hits.

Five or ten minutes later, we're on the Trail to make our Taco Bell run, and I feel like I'm going 600 mph. So I just apply the brakes and stop in the middle of quite heavy traffic with my buddies yelling at me the whole time that we are going to die. And me tell them that I was doing way too fast. And them telling me that I'm not "doing" anything at all. It was a scene, man.

I didn't smoke again until I was in my 30s after that.

Meltdown99

mickeyrat said:

Meltdown99 said:

mickeyrat said:

legit question as far as I'm concerned.

couple reasons why imo.

given the content of shit these days coupled with the various forms now available which hit the body different ways.

it IS intoxication, just like with certain medications( which pot is and can be) there are cautions in operating heavy machinery(cars count), so pot in my view falls under that.

given its longevity in the body, its going to have to be a fairly sophisticated testing protocol to determine in the moment impairment vs I smoked some real strong shit several days ago but havent since....

this comes from a former smoker( the one I grieved giving up almost 15 yrs ago) my work also forbids it as a safety sensitive job(trucking, cant even use hemp cbd products).

Am happy for you guys. Spark one for me.

I understand the need for truckers to be sober while driving...but here in Ontario there is 0 tolerance for truckers with cannabis in their system...I call bullshit on that very flawed logic...

so basically you can stay up drinking all night and technically be sober enough to drive...but should you really be driving?  Alcohol makes you fell like shit.  I smoke a joint before bed and go sleep I wake up rested the drunk drinking till 
1 MIGHT be sober but still allowed to drive even though he feels like shit and hungover...I just love government logic.

their is a long waaaaaays to go to end the stigma.

I quit drinking completely and just consume cannabis...

in the US its 8 hrs after last drink before you can drive, fly or operate a train under tge hours of service rules.. The fact that cannabis is illegal federally means theres zero tolerance period.

But the 8 rule is easily broken, correct?  I think the same rules should apply to cannabis...even though the 8 rule is ridiculous when it comes to cannabis...

Gern Blansten

F Me In The Brain said:

Gern Blansten said:

F Me In The Brain said:

Yeah, lots of jokes to be made, but wondering, for real.

My favorite "funny" driving stoned scene...

Those were shrooms though right?

Oh man, I thought the driver was stoned, were they all on boomers?

An excuse to re-watch, it has been too long!

yes he ate the entire bag as they were being pulled over....hilarity ensued

F Me In The Brain

Gern Blansten said:

F Me In The Brain said:

Gern Blansten said:

F Me In The Brain said:

Yeah, lots of jokes to be made, but wondering, for real.

My favorite "funny" driving stoned scene...

Those were shrooms though right?

Oh man, I thought the driver was stoned, were they all on boomers?

An excuse to re-watch, it has been too long!

yes he ate the entire bag as they were being pulled over....hilarity ensued

Right on -- re-watch this weekend!

hedonist

dankind said:

F Me In The Brain said:

dankind said:

I don't think that I could manage to drive while stoned, so I don't even try. Also, though, I don't like driving at night, when it's snowing, etc., so I don't really do those things either.

I will say, however, that I do have some friends I've caught a ride from. They were high as fuck and couldn't have been more alert and safe drivers. So I'm not saying I'm a better driver while high because I just won't do it, but a few of my friends actually might be. Of course, it would help me to know for sure if I had ever ridden with these friends while they were sober, but I'm not sure that's ever happened -- or ever will.

Does that warrant a "Get Lost?"

Get Lost!

 

I used to make that same claim - I would only drive short distances because I was sketched out about it, but I claimed to pay much closer attention, drive slower, etc...

Just not buying that it improves driving. 

So the first time the effects of cannabis ever hit me, I was behind the wheel of my Monza on US Hwy 41 (aka the Tamiami Trail). Previously, I had smoked with my friends several times and never felt anything.

Well, one day we were leaving the pool hall, and my buddies sparked up a bowl in my car before making a Taco Bell run less than two miles away. When it came around to me, I declined at first because they were basically wasting their pot since it didn't work on me. Also, um, I was driving. Anyway, I finally caved to peer pressure and their stoner logic that if it didn't affect me, then it didn't matter if I was driving, and I wound up taking a couplefew hits.

Five or ten minutes later, we're on the Trail to make our Taco Bell run, and I feel like I'm going 600 mph. So I just apply the brakes and stop in the middle of quite heavy traffic with my buddies yelling at me the whole time that we are going to die. And me tell them that I was doing way too fast. And them telling me that I'm not "doing" anything at all. It was a scene, man.

I didn't smoke again until I was in my 30s after that.

While in his teens, my husband drove a van with his buddies in the snow, at night, all four of them tripping balls. Lost traction going down a hill, slid, nearly shit themselves, all okay. Then one of the dudes called the cops on themselves

Yeah, back when I drove I’d have a buzz on sometimes. In retrospect, the paranoia of being pulled over for anything wasn’t worth it.

Not sure how well intoxication could be detected, accurately. It’d be real nice if people could just set aside their need for a bit in the interest of others. 

Then again, most folks aren’t so...logical? Compassionate? Something. 

Gern Blansten

Yeah I was always way too paranoid.

One time I was driving and my two buddies in the back seat were flicking their lighters and told me a copy was pulling me over.  The terror was absolutely real.

brianlux

Good question.  THC stays in the blood for quite awhile which is why if a person is required to take a blood test for employment it is best not to smoke for something like a month.

Gern Blansten said:

Yeah I was always way too paranoid.

One time I was driving and my two buddies in the back seat were flicking their lighters and told me a copy was pulling me over.  The terror was absolutely real.

Oh those sob's 

True story- I once rode with a guy who was driving while we were both stoned.  He was a deputy sheriffs and we were on a freeway doing about 95 MPH.  I didn't know it was legal for a sheriff to drive that fast.  It was kind of scary. 

Gern Blansten

brianlux said:

Good question.  THC stays in the blood for quite awhile which is why if a person is required to take a blood test for employment it is best not to smoke for something like a month.

Gern Blansten said:

Yeah I was always way too paranoid.

One time I was driving and my two buddies in the back seat were flicking their lighters and told me a copy was pulling me over.  The terror was absolutely real.

Oh those sob's 

True story- I once rode with a guy who was driving while we were both stoned.  He was a deputy sheriffs and we were on a freeway doing about 95 MPH.  I didn't know it was legal for a sheriff to drive that fast.  It was kind of scary. 

One of my old high school stoner buddies is a deputy sheriff in my home town.  

brianlux

Gern Blansten said:

brianlux said:

Good question.  THC stays in the blood for quite awhile which is why if a person is required to take a blood test for employment it is best not to smoke for something like a month.

Gern Blansten said:

Yeah I was always way too paranoid.

One time I was driving and my two buddies in the back seat were flicking their lighters and told me a copy was pulling me over.  The terror was absolutely real.

Oh those sob's 

True story- I once rode with a guy who was driving while we were both stoned.  He was a deputy sheriffs and we were on a freeway doing about 95 MPH.  I didn't know it was legal for a sheriff to drive that fast.  It was kind of scary. 

One of my old high school stoner buddies is a deputy sheriff in my home town.  

So strange!

Gern Blansten

brianlux said:

Gern Blansten said:

brianlux said:

Good question.  THC stays in the blood for quite awhile which is why if a person is required to take a blood test for employment it is best not to smoke for something like a month.

Gern Blansten said:

Yeah I was always way too paranoid.

One time I was driving and my two buddies in the back seat were flicking their lighters and told me a copy was pulling me over.  The terror was absolutely real.

Oh those sob's 

True story- I once rode with a guy who was driving while we were both stoned.  He was a deputy sheriffs and we were on a freeway doing about 95 MPH.  I didn't know it was legal for a sheriff to drive that fast.  It was kind of scary. 

One of my old high school stoner buddies is a deputy sheriff in my home town.  

So strange!

yeah we actually got busted vandalizing cars once too...we were only 16-17 though 

PJPOWER

brianlux said:

Good question.  THC stays in the blood for quite awhile which is why if a person is required to take a blood test for employment it is best not to smoke for something like a month.

Gern Blansten said:

Yeah I was always way too paranoid.

One time I was driving and my two buddies in the back seat were flicking their lighters and told me a copy was pulling me over.  The terror was absolutely real.

Oh those sob's 

True story- I once rode with a guy who was driving while we were both stoned.  He was a deputy sheriffs and we were on a freeway doing about 95 MPH.  I didn't know it was legal for a sheriff to drive that fast.  It was kind of scary. 

Actually, THC only stays in your bloodstream for 3-4 hours after smoking so it is probably the most effective in finding out whether or not someone is currently high.  

Urine and Hair will register for much longer.

Edit:  After looking into it a bit more, the above is still true.  If a test is specifically looking for THC, it only stays in your bloodstream for a couple hours (hence why you are only “stoned” for a couple hours).  There is another metabolite, THC-COOH, that can be detected for longer (for 25 days or so), so if an employer is testing for that specifically they could bust you...but why wouldn’t they just use hair or urine at that point?

tempo_n_groove

oftenreading said:

Here's a link to FAQs about how the Canadian federal government has dealt with the issue of cannabis use and impairment

https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/sidl-rlcfa/qa2-qr2.html

Oral fluid sampling (i.e. saliva) tests can be used at the roadside and were the first screening device. A breathalyzer is now also approved for roadside use. Both are for screening purposes only - if there is suspicion of impairment due to use of THC then a blood sample is the standard and so the individual has to be taken into custody to get that. THC is cleared from the blood and saliva fairly quickly after use, making it a much more accurate test of recent use. The excuse of "I smoked some really strong shit a few days ago" wouldn't fly.

This is very interesting.  It would suck here though if the cop "has reasonable suspicion" that you are impaired or feels you are borderline because now you are heading into the station.  It's like bullshit DUI checkpoints all over again.

Meltdown99

PJPOWER said:

brianlux said:

Good question.  THC stays in the blood for quite awhile which is why if a person is required to take a blood test for employment it is best not to smoke for something like a month.

Gern Blansten said:

Yeah I was always way too paranoid.

One time I was driving and my two buddies in the back seat were flicking their lighters and told me a copy was pulling me over.  The terror was absolutely real.

Oh those sob's 

True story- I once rode with a guy who was driving while we were both stoned.  He was a deputy sheriffs and we were on a freeway doing about 95 MPH.  I didn't know it was legal for a sheriff to drive that fast.  It was kind of scary. 

Actually, THC only stays in your bloodstream for 3-4 hours after smoking so it is probably the most effective in finding out whether or not someone is currently high.  

Urine and Hair will register for much longer.

Edit:  After looking into it a bit more, the above is still true.  If a test is specifically looking for THC, it only stays in your bloodstream for a couple hours (hence why you are only “stoned” for a couple hours).  There is another metabolite, THC-COOH, that can be detected for longer (for 25 days or so), so if an employer is testing for that specifically they could bust you...but why wouldn’t they just use hair or urine at that point?

From the npr article....

"And it shocked everyone, including ourselves, that we could measure, in some of these individuals, THC in the blood for 30 days," says Marilyn Huestis, a toxicologist with the University of Maryland School of Medicine who recently retired from leading a lab at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

PJPOWER

Meltdown99 said:

PJPOWER said:

brianlux said:

Good question.  THC stays in the blood for quite awhile which is why if a person is required to take a blood test for employment it is best not to smoke for something like a month.

Gern Blansten said:

Yeah I was always way too paranoid.

One time I was driving and my two buddies in the back seat were flicking their lighters and told me a copy was pulling me over.  The terror was absolutely real.

Oh those sob's 

True story- I once rode with a guy who was driving while we were both stoned.  He was a deputy sheriffs and we were on a freeway doing about 95 MPH.  I didn't know it was legal for a sheriff to drive that fast.  It was kind of scary. 

Actually, THC only stays in your bloodstream for 3-4 hours after smoking so it is probably the most effective in finding out whether or not someone is currently high.  

Urine and Hair will register for much longer.

Edit:  After looking into it a bit more, the above is still true.  If a test is specifically looking for THC, it only stays in your bloodstream for a couple hours (hence why you are only “stoned” for a couple hours).  There is another metabolite, THC-COOH, that can be detected for longer (for 25 days or so), so if an employer is testing for that specifically they could bust you...but why wouldn’t they just use hair or urine at that point?

From the npr article....

"And it shocked everyone, including ourselves, that we could measure, in some of these individuals, THC in the blood for 30 days," says Marilyn Huestis, a toxicologist with the University of Maryland School of Medicine who recently retired from leading a lab at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

I missed that article, but that is surprising if true.  All research that I am aware of otherwise says it is only found in the blood for a couple of hours (3 to 5).  Maybe as the tests got more efficient at detecting, they started locating it longer?

Meltdown99

oftenreading said:

Here's a link to FAQs about how the Canadian federal government has dealt with the issue of cannabis use and impairment

https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/sidl-rlcfa/qa2-qr2.html

Oral fluid sampling (i.e. saliva) tests can be used at the roadside and were the first screening device. A breathalyzer is now also approved for roadside use. Both are for screening purposes only - if there is suspicion of impairment due to use of THC then a blood sample is the standard and so the individual has to be taken into custody to get that. THC is cleared from the blood and saliva fairly quickly after use, making it a much more accurate test of recent use. The excuse of "I smoked some really strong shit a few days ago" wouldn't fly.

From an npr article I posted...

"And it shocked everyone, including ourselves, that we could measure, in some of these individuals, THC in the blood for 30 days," says Marilyn Huestis, a toxicologist with the University of Maryland School of Medicine who recently retired from leading a lab at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

also our federal government has no control over how the laws are enforced...zilch.  

Remember thanks to archaic white people who were heavily lobbied to keep cannabis illegal...so we are still in the early stages of research...

These things take time.