Bomb-sniffing Kittens Would Also be a Violation of my Civil Liberties, but It Would be ADORABLE!
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So, OK, I've been diligently visiting the site and improving my pop-culture and political education like a good boy...And it's true, too, and argued by Illinois' Attorney General, for whom I voted.
But I have to say I'm dismayed that so far this week I've read posts about V-Day T shirts and Oscar B.S., whilst nobody has anything to say about the Supreme Court's decision yesterday to allow police to use drug-sniffing dogs during routine traffic stops! Apparently this is NOT a violation of our constitutional rights...yeah, right.
I guess we can all forget about toking up during rush hour. :-(
The Pandora's Box was opened by the Patriot Act, and this is another example. Sure, the dog can only examine the exterior of the car, so if you have your bag stashed well, you have nothing to worry about. This decision does expand the powers, though, and can indeed lead to more loosening of the reins on police in ways that will inconvience even those who are doing nothing wrong.
But if you're toking during rush hour, the cops won't need a dog. They'll just need their nose. If a cop pulls you over and smells weed, he doesn't need a dog to search your car -- the inside of your car.
Oh, and thank you for slowing your reflexes and lessening your cognitive skills while driving and putting my life and yours in danger. I appreciate that. Just because I think marijuana should be legalized doesn't mean you should be able to toke and drive.
9 Comments:
A quick Google search turned up this:
"...marijuana produces only a moderate degree of driving impairment which is related to the consumed THC dose. The impairment manifests itself mainly in the ability to maintain a steady lateral position on the road, but its magnitude is not exceptional in comparison with changes produced by many medicinal drugs and alcohol. Drivers under the influence of marijuana retain insight into their performance and will compensate where they can (e.g., by increasing distance between vehicles or increasing effort). As a consequence, THC's adverse effects on driving performance appeared relatively small in the tests employed..."
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But NORML, who spend all day fighting for our right to do bong hits, still advise against driving high:
"The responsible cannabis consumer does not operate a motor vehicle or other dangerous machinery while impaired by cannabis, nor (like other responsible citizens) while impaired by any other substance or condition, including some medicines and fatigue.
"Although cannabis is said by most experts to be safer than alcohol and many prescription drugs with motorists, responsible cannabis consumers never operate motor vehicles in an impaired condition. Public safety demands not only that impaired drivers be taken off the road, but that objective measures of impairment be developed and used, rather than chemical testing."
Um, hey folks, the toking up during rush hour line was supposed to be a joke...is focusing on that aspect your way of dealing with the frightening reality of this decision?
...and since we're already focused on it, does no one realize the dangers in NOT allowing people to toke up during rush hour? Think about it - people will get more frustrated and angrier sooner, resulting in more agressive driving, leading to more accidents? Hell, Alro, your life was probably SAVED by some stank-ass hippie-turned-yuppie listening to NPR while sucking on the hitter in his Acura at 6:00 pm on the expressway.
Acura '04, yo.
I'm glad to know that the Acura driver was looking for his one-hitter instead of looking at the road.
Yes, this decision is another example of rights being taken away from us, but it's hardly the most egregious. It's one thing to increase the ways police can surveil for something that is already illegal (and unfortunately so); it's entirely another thing when Muslims (or even, god forbid, Moslems) are surveiled because they are Muslims (or even, holy shit, Moslems).
To put it another way -- it's one thing to know you are doing something illegal; it's entirely another to be treated as if you are doing something illegal when you are not.
Thank you, though for sending the article to me. I hadn't heard about it, and yes, it's a bad thing. However, given the overwhelming number of other immoral ways the Bush regime is buggering our country, drug sniffing dogs smelling the exterior of a car looking for enormous quanitites of drugs that you could never consume yourself anyway -- that's the least of my worries right now.
As for the driving high thing, I know it was a joke, but it something that I know a lot of my dope smoking friends do, and I hate it. The "I drive better when I'm high" argument is a crock, just like many of the other arguments for marijuana legalization, such as "It's not addictive" (it is). Marijuana legalization should be based on one thing, and one thing only -- it's hypocritical. Making shit up, like I drive better when I'm clearly impaired, doesn't help the cause.
I have to agree w/ Arlo on this one. This whole conversation about driving and toking has led me to worry for any number of reasons. If you can't make it through rush hour without toking to prevent you from blindsiding someone while filled with road rage, then you need anger management, not weed. I smoke ocassionally, but NOT while driving. I don't think ANYONE should be smoking while driving...it's just like drinking and driving, weed does impair you and therefore you should not be smoking while driving a motor vehicle. Period.
I don't smoke marijuana and I usually take the train when I travel. However, I am impaired by life itself and am therefore a threat not only while driving, but while talking, walking, blogging, or softly weeping as I order a medium dark at Caribou Coffee. So make sure that some of your indignity at being endangered by the ungoverned impulses of your fellow organisms slops over onto me. I've earned it.
Arlo, how many times have you ridden in my car with full knowledge that I was STONED TO BEJESUS?
Damn right, I am anonymous.
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