More Drug Driving bullshit (work it out Sunday Star Times)
Drugs deadly on our roads: study
DRUGS ARE as big a menace on our roads as alcohol, a new study has found. The blood of more than 1000 drivers killed on our roads in the past five years was tested for the police by Dr Helen Poulsen from Environment Science and Research (ESR). The 1046 drivers tested represented 89% of those killed on the roads between 2004-2009 – and almost half of them returned positive results for alcohol and drugs. The results of the "Alcohol and other drug use in New Zealand drivers 2004-2009" project could undermine the country's focus on drink-driving because cannabis was also a major contributor to road deaths. Of the 500 drivers who had used alcohol, cannabis or a combination of both, Poulsen's report found 135 drivers used alcohol alone, 96 used only cannabis, 142 used both, and 127 used a combination of drugs.
Need to look tough in the face of a gutless backdown on booze levels in blood so that the National Party could avoid being considered 'Nanny State'? Get the ESR to drag out some bullshit stats on marijuana use. What this article doesn't pick up, and what the Journalist seems to ignore altogether is that because Marijuana is illegal there is no level in the blood that would be a pass, so because marijuana can stay in the blood for a week and in the fat for several months, just because someone is found 'positive' for Marijuana doesn't mean they were under the 'influence' at the time of the crash, it just means that in a week before they crashed they had smoked a joint.
To misconstrue those stats and what they actually say to grant Police MORE roadside powers (which are already corrupt as they are totally at the discretion of the Police Officer) while the Government has slipped away criticism free from allowing people to legally drink drive is an exercise in how to use the media to shut down debate.
It's a pity the Journalist didn't ask more questions and just wrote the ESR press release up as news to smokescreen the drink driving decision.
posted by Bomber @ 6:51 am
9 comments
9 Comments:
Riiight.
So according to bomber, drugs don't impede driving.
That's not what he said, bozzo!
JonL
The article was typical Sunday Times bullshit...
'so many people had THC in their system so that is the sole reason for their crash'
FFS, makes Michael Laws opinion piece look intelligent.
Decreasing road deaths will not occur from targeting stoned drivers.
All these stats tell us is that loads of kiwis smoke weed....nothing more...nothing less.
What about traces of prescription drugs.... guess they would be National voters...we won't mention them.
The Sunday Times are the Nat's tool, the timing of the article and the fact it was on the front page is so obvious, its laughable.
"So according to bomber, drugs don't impede driving."
well if you smoked the joint a week a go how the hell could it impede your driving, but what it would do is show up it a test.But if its a prescription drug is that ok??? plenty of them can impede your driving.
http://www.gsalternative.com/2010/05/cannabinoids-kill-cancer/
Pot kills cancer
Look at it this way alcohol causes many times more harm and destruction in society than what marijuana does,
the social cost of alcohol related incidents is enormous ands thats a Fact my dear friends.
So, posters, because we can't test for cannabis in our system reliably, smoking while driving is a non issue?
Or, prescription drugs are also bad, so smoking while driving is a non-issue?
Drink driving is bad.
So is drug driving.
See, very easy to say.
Alcohol is THE gateway drug.
Keep it 18 eh?
Its not the alcohol at fault nanny, its the marijuana what did it. Honest.
Really it's driving under the influence of whatever mind altering substance you prefer. It's all simply a bad idea. Seems to me that the answer lies in getting people to make intelligent decisions about their capabilities rather than going on a blame the substance hunt. Tiredness is probably way more dangerous than dope but not illegal. As soon as any of you work out how to raise the responsibility of the driving public you'll have it nailed. Good luck.
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