Driving while buzzed: Marijuana and safety
California is poised to legalize marijuana in a few days, with polls showing a strong majority favoring Proposition 64. So it’s time to ponder the impact of legalization on highway safety.
It is illegal to drive and drink. It is also illegal to drive while high on pot. But are the two things equally dangerous?
Not surprisingly, the answer varies depending on where you stand on the issue of legalization.
Messed up
Public health experts line up against driving while stoned. There is no safe level of cannabis use, they state. Driving is a task that demands sharp senses and a clear mind, they insist. Cannabis is classed as a depressant that slows messages between your brain and body. People explicitly take it to get messed up – should they then get behind the wheel?