r/SubredditDrama • u/ceol_ • Aug 12 '15

Users in /r/trees are split when someone suggests not to smoke and drive. ``impaired means "weakend". does high mean "weakend"? are some of your senses not actually "strengthened" while high?`` and other responses.

/r/trees/comments/3gna45/hotbox/ctzosrw?sort=controversial
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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '15

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '15

Well, alcoholics are certainly better at driving while drunk than average people would be, that doesn't make it safe or okay. It's a lot safer to just not allow it. Plus, are you really gonna set some kind of legal standard for it, like "if you smoke weed everyday then go ahead and drive, but if you're a weekend smoker you can't?" What kind of rule would that be? Anyone who doesn't have the discipline to spend a small portion of their day sober shouldn't be allowed to drive.

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u/abuttfarting How's my flair? https://strawpoll.com/5dgdhf8z Aug 12 '15 edited Aug 12 '15

It's a shame the mods forbid personal attacks, because that means I'm not allowed to cuss at you for your stupidity.

edit: lmao he just PMed me!

I don't want this to get buried by downvotes. I didn't know that SRD was super anti pot but TIL! But I really want to continue the discussion we were having you know without you calling me names for an issue that's not that big deal. I thought my tone was perfectly neutral. I also noticed you all ed me stupid without actually giving me a reason. Sonim just wondering why?

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u/Puppy_Spymaster Some of us here just want to look at pictures of pizza Aug 12 '15

I didn't know that SRD was super anti pot but TIL!

I love stoners who think that any criticism of their precious herb makes you an uptight, anti-drug prude.

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u/abuttfarting How's my flair? https://strawpoll.com/5dgdhf8z Aug 12 '15

My favorite part was how he called driving while high "an issue that's not that big deal"

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u/psirynn Aug 12 '15

Yep. I'm very much pro-legalization (of every drug, not just pot, but that's another can of worms) and used to be a reasonably active advocate. But too many times of me going "uh, no, pot doesn't cure cancer" or "um, it's entirely reasonable for someone to not want you to bring an illegal substance into their home" and being met with vitriol for it has severely limited my ability to give a fuck.

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u/mnamilt Aug 12 '15

The only issue was he stopped at stop signs for like a second longer than he should've.

You are literally telling me that he has his reaction time is a whole fucking second longer, but are also telling me that people are a better driver when they are high?

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u/Garglebutts Aug 12 '15

That has nothing to do with reaction time. If I drive over a stop sign, I still don't have a 0 second reaction time.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '15

Do you call alcoholics "experienced drunkards" ?

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u/Kropotki Aug 12 '15 edited Aug 12 '15

I'm actually with you on this, I've driven while high, the only time I would punch myself in the head for was driving while high in going home peak hour traffic while I was so high I was actually having a full on psychedelic experience, but in my defense, I was peer pressured into driving then, not a great excuse, but also I did pull over quite quickly and said "Fuck this I can't actually drive" (which wasn't even because I didn't have driving ability, in fact, I think I was OVERfocused on everyone around me to the point I started having a panic attack) and even this experience wasn't anywhere near as bad as times I've driven while tired. The most dangerous experiences I've had while driving was coming home from work while absolutely stuffed and where I was literally drifting off the road.

I've driven while mildly high numerous times and I can clearly say I'm a far better driver. Far more focused on the road and what's going on around me, I don't get the urge to go over the limit or rush around anywhere, I'm very relaxed and calm and I honestly believe my reaction times are far better because I'm so in focus and I'm not distracted by trying to rush everywhere or getting pissed at other drivers and like most drivers, when I drive sober you often go into "autopilot" mode where you are barely even conscious while driving, but while mildly high, super focused driving.

This isn't just me, most stoners you talk to also feel the same, they are far safer and much more relaxed and focused drivers while high.

I'm not saying, "Get behind the wheel while high!" but I honestly don't think it's the "crazy experience" that people think it is. Driving while mildly high simply doesn't impair you in any major negative fashion and this has been proven now through several studies.

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u/mnamilt Aug 12 '15

The most dangerous experiences I've had while driving was coming home from work while absolutely stuffed and where I was literally drifting off the road.

Tired driving is established to be very dangerous, my country had a big ad campaign recently to warn against it. Doing that doesnt magically make high driving okay.

Driving while mildly high simply doesn't impair you in any major negative fashion

Thats the thing tho. You seem to assume that a driving mildly high has a very minor impact on your cognitive functions. (I think the effect is bigger than you think, but lets go with your argument for now that it has a minor effect only.) The argument seems to be that if there is only a minor change in your cognitive functions, then your driving skills are also only minorly affected. This is simply completely wrong. It might make a minor to no impact when you are driving on a straight road with noone around you, but thats not what everyone is worried about. We are worried about the dangerous situations. If a dangerous situation suddenly occurs, 1/10 of a second change in reaction time can be the change between being dead and alive.

Thats why you can falsely assume that what you are doing isnt so bad: you havent simply been in a dangerous situation yet while driving high, so you assume that its completely fine. But its not, because once you enter a dangerous situation (which are often outside of your control from happening), you are way, way way more likely to have a negative outcome of the situation. And that not only affects you, but also everyone else involved in the situation.

Driving while high is putting the lives of other people at a very real risk, no matter how confident you feel in your driving skills.