Liberal Free Chat Zone

[mr40]

20% of all motor vehicle accidents are attributable to drugged driving. (50% of seriously injured drivers test positive for drugs. (Walsh JM, Flegel R., et al 2005)
• 8,600 people died in 2005 as a result of drugged driving
• 580,000 people were injured in car crashes as a result of drugged driving
• $33 billion in damages every year.

Which drug is most prevalent? Marijuana! 26.9% of seriously injured drivers tested positive for marijuana. There are 127 million current users of alcohol in America and, and because of restrictive drug policies, only 15 million smoke marijuana. In spite of this, alcohol
was only involved with 15% of injured drivers compared to marijuana at 26.9%. Per capita, marijuana smokers cause 18 times more injury accidents than alcohol.

In a roadside survey, of those who tested positive for a drug, 49.4% tested positive for marijuana alone, and another 8.6% tested positive for marijuana and cocaine. In Canada, 10.4% of all
drivers tested positive for drugs, with marijuana and cocaine accounting for 4.6% each. The figure of one person in ten driving under the influence holds true in America as well. Scary!

Legalizing marijuana for any reason will adversely impact public safety. More people would die and be injured on the highways, and the cost to insurance companies and the general population would soar. Legalization is simply a dumb idea, put forth by people who like to get high, with no regard for the social consequences of their actions. Alcohol and tobacco, the two legal drugs, inflict enough harm. We neither need nor can we afford one more.

http://www.drugfreecalifornia.org/PDF/trafficaccidents.pdf