Why is smoking anything while driving not banned by existing distracted driving laws? Seems to me that smoking is at least as distracting as talking on a cell phone, which science has shown to be just as dangerous as DWI.

I highly doubt marijuana would have ANY deadly impairment as opposed to alcohol. Marijuana is extremely safe even in massive dosages. Cops, please focus on the alcohol impairments! Prevent the accidents from drunk drivers!

"Are you kidding?"

They walk among us!

Isn't a joint an "open container" of weed?

Isn't that enough to violate 64?

Geez.

Be careful what you enact. But a little about drug abuse. Some marijuana abusers are so impaired they don't know it. If they ever did know it, they just can't remember. And if they remember, they really dont care. The Z generation is taking over. Z for Zombies. Is recreational marijuana more dangerous than alcohol? No. Not if it can be bought from places that do not also sell other (illicit) drugs - such as meth. But we have not exchanged alcohol problems for marijuana problems. We have both. And plenty of other drugs from all over the world - including straight-up poisonous chemicals from China.

"I highly doubt marijuana would have ANY deadly impairment as opposed to alcohol. Marijuana is extremely safe even in massive dosages."

If you believe this, you are in denial. You probably also believe it is not addictive. The best part about legalization is that it will also be legal to study the effects of pot.

In their defense, they were totally stoned when they wrote the proposition.

@Amelia

You actually have no idea what you're talking about, on 2 fronts.

1. As an MMJ (Medical Marijuana) patient i can assure you it is not addictive, not once have i had the shakes from not smoking. i don't have withdrawals when i don't smoke. These are the classic signs of addiction seen with alcohol, meth, crack, etc. as well as nicotine. Not once have i robbed my neighbors house to buy pot. Your assertion that is addictive is a very old world, uneducated view on this particular topic.

2. To keep with my theme of you being uneducated, Legalization in CA is going to do absolutely nothing to impact studies on the effects of marijuana use because it is still considered a Schedule 1 drug under Federal Law, therefore it still cannot be studied in any new ways, good or bad.

Please at least take time to educate yourself before making ridiculous assertions.

It's great to see the old guard on the ropes for a change. All those years of frivolous pot laws - finally some logical steps taken. I expect that they'll be complaining for years to come.

Prohibition doesn't work.

Resident, I am all for your right to free speech, but perhaps parroting 'facts' which are not true should be reconsidered because it isn't productive and wastes everybody's time, and it makes you look like you don't even care about being correct.
If you really think smoking is just as distracting as talking or txting, maybe you should try it. Or maybe it is for you, that's possible. But the fact is that we cannot ban *all* distracting things. No one could drive after being fired, or catching a spouse cheating, or while they have hayfever, or with people in the car with them. I'm not against a no pot smoking while driving rule. It's just a predictable rule, whatever. But repeating untrue opinions and then calling out an unrelated study is manipulative and misleading.
I am sure my little comment won't stop resident from posting slimey trump-esque 'facts' in the future, but maybe the rest of us can see through the misleading yet repeated commentary without falling prey to it.

We need another bill banning pot possession for sale (and maybe also pot possession and consumption) within 1/2 mile of any K-12 public or private school --- including the students and their parents. I really don't give a damn if you brain dead pot heads are in total denial and hate this because you don't matter. Just like tobacco and alcohol, we need to protect our school kids from druggie predators.

I'm amazed by these comments and guessing that those that believe that smoking pot does not impair the user are kids? Hard to believe that anybody (adult or kid) thinks that driving while stoned is okay. We're clearly moving backwards...

This is an extremely one-sided story that normalizes a pernicious myth: that driving under the influence of cannabis necessarily increases your chance of having an accident. Most studies show that people under the influence of cannabis the same number or fewer accidents than those who are not. Obviously if someone is *impaired* by cannabis or any other substance (cough medicine, perhaps) they absolutely should not drive. Fortunately laws against driving while impaired already exist.

Many cannabis patients find they are *more* functional under the influence of cannabis. It can improve focus, which is why many ADHD patients use it in lieu of the toxic amphetamines generally prescribed by doctors. It's totalitarian and dangerous to give the State a new way to persecute cannabis users. Senate Bill 65 is a creepy and terrible bill.

Of course, if you're predisposed to hate & fear cannabis (because you've been told your whole life how "reefer madnessey" it is) you may have trouble believing *anyone* benefits from smoking pot

What exactly is a "trained drug recognition expert"? Do the police employ battalions of these "experts" to assist in DUI charges for anyone caught smoking grass while driving?
And what about the person who smokes grass BEFORE they go driving? They are not violating prop 64 or the proposed senate bill 65, since there is no grass in the car at all. But theoretically they could be just as "impaired".

I'drove once while somewhat stoned, and for me it was actually a bit scary. While some say it helps you focus, I find that it more precisely unlocks the mind and allows it to go off and explore thoughts in all directions. When driving, that's not necessarily a good thing. I had to keep reminding myself to watch my speed, check my mirrors, stay in the lane, plan my lane changes, etc. It was like I did not fully trust my "autopilot" to do the right things. I overthought everything. Additionally the paranoia kicked in and I was worried someone would think I was driving oddly and report me. It was very uncomfortable and so I personally would not want to do that again. It's another example where grass use is rather "self regulating" which is a good thing.

In contrast, when you drink alcohol you become very unaware of your surroundings, over-confident in your abilities, and you don't really care or worry about anything which is a recipe for disaster.

I'm still on the fence about how strictly driving while stoned should be handled because I really don't know if it's truly dangerous. Have there been studies done? Does anyone have any quantifiable proof of an increased risk? Are we legislating purely on assumption? Given my own personal experience I do think it could lead to some type of danger, like overcompensating or being hyper-reactive, but I think it needs to be studied.

@Amelia

[Portion removed; don't attack other posters] Driving while intoxicated on alcohol CLEARLY is more deadly and dangerous than alcohol.

I am 67 years old Medical Marijuana patient who has smoked since the late '60s when pot was stronger and tended to turn anyone into a couch potato. At that time it was hippie territory, not necessarily used for medical use. Today, the different strains of pot vary for each condition. Once used recreationally, I now use it for a variety of medical problems, including herniated disks in my back, severe headaches, depression, etc. Depending on the need, smoking does not allow me to overdo to the point of "Oh, I've got to lie down". People who use medical marijuana usually know when enough is enough. I personally love to drive while stoned, but sometimes the strain of the pot will stop me from doing it. Sometimes smoking to relax to the point of, "my back hurts but I don't care now."

Recreational marijuana got me into some small troubles 30 years ago. All of us smokers know when to enjoy the high, enjoy the absence of symptoms and go with the flow.

New smokers, don't overdo, over smoke, cause trouble. Recreation is just that. Enjoyable, friendly. Don't spoil it for the people who need the medication because smoking pot is a lot better than taking 6 Norco, 2 Oxycontin, 3 Soma, 3 Zanaflex all at the same time. I'd much rather enjoy a bowl load than take all these pills.

What.. what are we doing here?

It's illegal to have an open container in the car.
It's illegal to be under the influence while driving.

Why does it need to be a crime to actually consume it while driving? Don't the other laws already cover that scenario?

It's not illegal to literally DRINK a beer while driving. It's the open container that gets you in trouble or your blood level if you drink a lot.

This is a law that is not needed. Someone wants to look like they're actually doing something. That last thing we need in this State are MORE laws.

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?