Thursday, May 31, 2018

Reefer, Crashes and Boatloads of Cash

Given Montana's relatively bad traffic fatality statistics, it seems to me that we can't promote legal recreational marijuana use without at least understanding what impact it might have on public safety on the highways. And in that regard the statistics cited by Pew in a new report might give us pause. But I have my doubts about how useful they are.
Essentially, what Colorado, Washington and other states that have legalized recreational use are reporting is a pretty big increase in the number of drivers who were using (or had recently used) marijuana when they got killed in an accident. That's suggestive, but it doesn't prove much. What we really want to know is whether, when you smoke a joint or pop an edible and get behind the wheel, you’re more likely than you otherwise would be to end up killing yourself or somebody else. And the way to answer that question is to compare the fatal accident rate for all the drivers who are under the influence of marijuana with that of all the drivers who aren't under the influence of anything. Even that comparison could be misleading, of course, because the universes of using and non-using drivers may differ from one another in some relevant respect, such as age. That's a typical confounding variable problem, and it needs to be accounted for, but in any case, we don't have the data needed to make the comparison in the first place. 
That doesn't mean that the question can be ignored. Pew reports that in 2016, of all the fatally injured drivers tested, 38 percent tested positive for marijuana use alone (the issue gets a lot more complicated when you have to take into account cases where the driver was using marijuana and drinking, or using other drugs, at the same time). On the assumption that drivers are usually tested when there is some reason to suspect they were impaired, the rate of marijuana use among all fatally injured drivers is probably less than 38 percent. That may yet sound pretty high, but whatever it is, we still don't know how it compares to the rate of use among drivers who don't have fatal accidents. It would surprise me if 38 percent of all the drivers out on the road tested positive, but what do I know? And as Pew points out, coming up with the right data is further complicated by the fact that drivers can "test positive" for marijuana long after any effects that would affect driving have worn off.
I doubt that in what remains of my political career (one more session in the Montana Senate) I will ever have the opportunity to vote on legalization, so my opinion doesn't count for much. But for what it's worth, it seems to me that decriminalization is a no-brainer. It's a monumental waste of time and resources to pursue, arrest, convict and incarcerate people for smoking a little reefer. When it comes to full on, Colorado style legalization, however, and particularly the promotion of recreational use, I have some some concerns - about public safety, for one thing, and about the health impacts of the very powerful marijuana available in the shops, for another. And the last thing in the world I think we should do is legalize because we can then collect a boatload of tax dollars. We shouldn't make ourselves financially dependent on the sale of a product that may turn out to be a stone around our necks. We did that with coal, and you can see how that worked out.







20 comments:

  1. Well, pot's off the table for you.

    What other ideas do you have to make up the monumental budget shortfalls that we saw last session?

    Where do we get the money?

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. cash pay drug testing marble falls

    ReplyDelete
  3. revo uninstaller pro crack Thanks for the post. Very interesting post. This is my first-time visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog. Keep posting..

    ReplyDelete
  4. mkvtoolnix crack Amazing blog! I really like the way you explained such information about this post with us. And blog is really helpful for us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such a nice and helpful piece of information. I’m so happy that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing. idmcracksetup.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Corel Videostudio Ultimate Pro Crack Such a nice and helpful piece of information. I’m so happy that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing. Visit My site

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is the software based company where you can find and demand different softwares such as express vpn crack Kindly click on here and visit our website and read more

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the great message! I really enjoyed reading
    you could be a good writer. Evil Alvzis notes blog and testament
    will finally come back later. I want to support
    keep writing well, have a nice weekend!
    sopcast crack
    windows 7 home premium crack
    ip camera recorder crack

    ReplyDelete
  9. My cousin recommended this website to me. I'm not certain if
    He wrote this post since no one else knows as much about my condition as he does.
    You're incredible! Thanks!
    isobuster crack
    adobe photoshop crack
    windows 10 cracked crack
    tally erp crack

    ReplyDelete
  10. On the Internet, I was happy to discover this installation.
    It was a wonderful read and I owe it to you at least once.
    It touched my interest a little and you kindly kept it.
    Become a fan of a new article on your site
    avi player crack
    comodo cloud scanner crack
    wondershare filmora crack
    epic pen pro crack

    ReplyDelete
  11. CyberLink audio director ultra crack is an attractive and professional software for recording and editing audio files. This program is a powerful tool to edit and record audio files most professionally. CyberLink audio director ultra crack Large and reputable CyberLink products are often among the best editing programs in the form of audio and video software, so download them safely and make sure they meet your small and large audio editing needs. CyberLink audio director ultra crack has a Visual editing tool that lets you accurately synchronize voice-overs or audio effects to specific video frames. At the same time, automated dialogue replacement helps you to align post-recorded audio with your video seamlessly. CyberLink audio director ultra crack There is no need to export your modified soundtracks and then re-import them into your video project with round-trip editing. the right sound is essential to create the right atmosphere for any video or movie. Precision audio editing for video. CyberLink audio director ultra crack

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great post. Keep writing such kind of info on your blog. Im really impressed by your blog.

    eFootball PES 2021
    advanced systemcare ultimate

    ReplyDelete
  13. Here at Karanpccrack, you will get all your favourite software. Our site has a collection of useful software. That will help for your, Visite here and get all your favourite and useful software free.
    DriverFinder Pro Crack

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great Blog Your Blog is Very Nice and Helpfull Crack Software

    ReplyDelete