Comment by at-fates-hands | Hacker News Reader

Comment by at-fates-hands | Hacker News Reader

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>> This is just marijuana.

I would hasten to say this. I totally support a lot of the legalization for medicinal purposes but there's still way too much of this happening:

Driving while high on marijuana causing spike in fatal accidents - http://www.today.com/health/driving-while-high-marijuana-cau...

Police: Driver Was High Before Crash That Killed Massachusetts State Trooper - http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/DA-Massachusetts-State-...

Driver was high on marijuana when he killed NE Portland cyclist, police say - http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/12/driver_...

Driver accused of crashing into marijuana dispensary while high on marijuana - http://www.oregonlive.com/happy-valley/index.ssf/2016/06/dri...

Teen driver admits to smoking marijuana before crash killing 3 - http://www.kiro7.com/news/teen-driver-admits-smoking-marijua...

Sorry but that old adage that people who smoke weed just sit on the couch and eat potato chips and people who smoke don't hurt anybody is a load of BS. These are not simple accidents, these are people getting high, driving and killing people, and its happening a LOT more frequently.

I do believe in legalization for medical purposes and feel there are huge benefits for people who need it - but clearly there are still issues that need to be worked out. And save your "Drunk drivers kill more people very year" and "Alcohol is way worse. . " arguments. Just because we already have one dangerous legal drug, does not make it right to legalize another one. Heroin and Cocaine are also schedule I and II drugs. Are they any less dangerous than weed?

Then logically texting must also be made illegal at all times. These are not simple accidents, these are people texting, driving and killing people, and its happening a LOT more frequently.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/06/tennessee-bus-drive...

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/story/news/2016/07/11/driver-...

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/boone-county/2015...

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/dangers-texting-while-d...

Totally agree. Not sure if you thought I would be against it, but I'm all for keeping the roads safer. And clearly, this is also a major issue.

This type of an argument, "Sure that's bad, but this is WAY worse!" is a horrible argument. The point is, they're both bad and need to be addressed. Saying its ok for something to be legal since there are worst alternatives is a poor argument IMHO.

One must be cautious to avoid the "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc" fallacy.

Furthermore, take care to notice "newsworthiness bias", which is when disproportionate media interest in an issue makes it seem more prevalent. Also, "if it bleeds, it leads" has been a journalistic aphorism for a long time. Watch out for articles in the next few months about injuries caused by "Pokemon Go" specifically, rather than something more generic and mundane, like "mobile phone games".

As some organizations with political clout have vested interest in continued prohibition and some influence of mainstream media, my opinion is that there is a slight bias in favor of running news stories that tend to portray marijuana use in a negative light. Of course, there has always been significant bias in the counterculture in favor of portraying marijuana as harmless or benign.

For a benchmark, acetaminophen causes roughly 450 deaths/year (in the US) from acute liver failure, as a verifiable medical statistic. The CDC believes about 88000 deaths/year (in the US) can be attributed to ethanol, from all proximate causes. Perhaps 480000 deaths/year (in the US) may be attributed to smoked tobacco.

Clearly, society has some tolerance for fatalities from legal drug use.

If there is a link between increased driving fatalities and legalized marijuana, it will be statistically significant and visible. I don't see much point in comparing total fatalities with other drugs--the harm is often under different mechanisms in different contexts.

I had a friend wreck his car because he was distracted by eating. Ban eating!

If only driving under the influence of cannabis were illegal in those states... er.

There are already laws covering DUI cases, but still some substances are legal and others not.

These are not simple accidents, these are people getting high, driving and killing people, and its happening a LOT more frequently.

Out of curiosity, do you have data to back this up or point to some source?

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