Pubdate: Thu, 22 Oct 2015
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Column: The 420
Copyright: 2015 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

ROAD TRIPPING

How high is "too-high-to-drive" high? I get stoned and drive all the 
time. I have never had an accident. Am I tripping?

- -Tenfor Guudbuddy

You aren't tripping and you may have a point. According to a recent 
study from the University of Iowa's National Advanced Driving 
Simulator (http://tinyurl.com/highdriving), marijuana doesn't really 
affect driving skills at all. The study found that stoned drivers had 
no real problems except for a tendency to weave a little bit inside 
their own lane, but only after consuming enough THC to have a BWC 
(Blood Weed Content. Like blood alcohol content but different because 
I just made it up) of 13.1 milligrams of THC. At that point, the 
stoned driver weaves like a person with a BAC of .08, but stoned 
drivers still performed better than drunk drivers in all three 
categories of the study. (By the way, the National Institute on Drug 
Abuse was a co-sponsor and they hate weed, so the fact that they even 
released this study is kind of a big deal.) The state of Washington 
says you are automatically guilty of a DUI if you have 5 milligrams 
in your system, but according to this study, 5 milligrams is no problem.

This is not to say that people should get stoned and drive around, 
but it does seem to indicate that the hysteria over marijuana 
legalization leading to more car wrecks is overblown. Let's not 
forget that car wrecks are down 15 percent in Colorado since 
marijuana legalization. Weed is different than alcohol, and so far 
there is no way to tell if a person is incapable of driving if they 
have a little THC in their system, because having THC in your 
bloodstream doesn't necessarily mean you are high. THC sticks around 
long after the effects have worn off. There a few companies looking 
to create some sort of cannabis breathalyzer 
(http://tinyurl.com/cannabuster), but a truly accurate method seems 
to be a few years away. Perhaps we should do what comedian Marc Maron 
suggested years ago: When you go to the DMV, you tell them you smoke 
pot. They let you burn one, then you go take your road test. If you 
pass, you get a sticker on your license that says "Pot OK!" He was 
kidding, but still. Anyway, getting stoned and driving is generally 
not a good idea. Operating a motor vehicle should be done with a 
clear head and an open heart. Be careful out there.

I heard the High Times Cup in Lemoore got canceled. What happened?

- -Sintra L'Valley

Politics and prohibition happened. The city decided that they didn't 
want the money and joy that cannabis festivals bring. That's their 
loss. Apparently, thousands of people staying in hotels and eating at 
restaurants isn't what the businesses of the depressed Central Valley 
need right now. Not to worry, the Humboldt Hempfest 
(www.mateel.org/hempfest.html) and the Emerald Cup 
(http://theemeraldcup.com) are still happening.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom