Basic Bob

Sun, Oct 23, 2011 : 12:59 p.m.

I'm all in favor for legalizing marijuana, not that I would start back up if they did. It's not nearly as devastating to society as overindulgence in alcohol. Driving while impaired should be punishable, regardless of whether it is caused by illegal substances. Impairment could be caused by lack of sleep, prescription drugs (do not operate a vehicle after taking), or obnoxious children in the back seat. Any way, you are responsible once you get behind the wheel. You better be competent to drive.

ChelseaBob

Sun, Oct 23, 2011 : 12:40 p.m.

All of you folks who say pot doesn't impair driving are kidding yourselves. Reaction times are significantly lowered. I'm for legalization of marijuana, not because I want to smoke it or I think it's good, but because it's time to return to being a free country where people take responsibility for their own lives and the government returns to a sideline support function. If this guy crashed after smoking pot, they should hammer him in court. The rest of you potheads will think twice about smoking and driving. Other than that, why do we care what our neighbors are smoking? It's their behavior after smoking that matters. If they commit a crime, charge them, but if they don't, leave them alone. The question of smoking pot and driving is the toughest point on this question, and hopefully medical science will give us an answer. I still think it's a mistake to use the heavy hand of government on every issue. I am the only one that wonders why the government is regulating the minute details of every day life?

grye

Sun, Oct 23, 2011 : 1:06 a.m.

Legalizing marijuana is just what we need.

RJA

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 8:48 p.m.

Tell me again that Marijunana should be legal, that there is no way it can impair driving. Tell me again the Police are wrong to arrest this person. Am wondering what the blood sample will reveal. Good Job WCSD!

AA

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 7:23 p.m.

This is a non story. Smoking pot does not impair driving in the least.

jj45678

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 5 p.m.

"There's no legally acceptable way to determine whether, in fact, anyone is under the influence of the principal active ingredient of marijuana" Sometimes you gotta just use common sense. If the guy told police he was smoking pot, he was...wait for it... likely smoking pot.

Georgetown Dad

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 4:13 p.m.

I believe they need do determine if the driver was "One toke over the line"

kochmann

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 4:12 p.m.

IF the arrested person has a MM card then impairment will have to be proven in a court of law. The OWID law in this state was just ruled to be unconstitutional due to its blatant and obvious 4th amendment violations. The story does not indicate in any way the circumstances of the accident. Other than alleged impairment as "noticed" by the officer was this driver held to be at fault in the accident by say running a red light or other traffic signal? Once again a poorly written story by an agenda driven editorial staff. This is one of the many reasons I stopped subscribing to this rag years ago. The marketing tactics this rag uses are a joke too. They beg in stores!!!! If they were a real news outlet providing informative news written well then they would not have to beg!!! The purported writer is obviously not overly concerned about basic Journalism.

nickcarraweigh

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 3:10 p.m.

The story is impossible. There's no legally acceptable way to determine whether, in fact, anyone is under the influence of the principal active ingredient of marijuana, THC. Blood testing can only reveal whether THC has been ingested at any point in the previous three or four weeks, not whether its intoxicating effects are current. This is different than alcohol testing in that under the per se law, alcohol above the level of 0.08 percent is legally accepted as an intoxicating level.

Tom Joad

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 3:07 p.m.

The proliferation of pot smokers has threatened our very civil liberties. The sheriff near Flint is setting up Drug Check Points on the interstate, stopping vehicles to search your car with drug-sniffing dogs, which is patently unconstitutional. Also, they are relying on large warning signs ahead of the checkpoints to purposely catch drivers who make an illegal u-turn on the freeway to avoid the stop ahead. They have patrol cars stationed on the opposite side of the freeway. Now, citizens who are not engaged in illegal activities have to be inconvenienced and subjected to the power of the state while going about their daily business. Marijuana will never be legal in America, nor should it. It is illegal in practically every country in the world with harsh penalties in many nations. Americans don't want weed legalized, contrary to the propaganda promulgated by the marijuana lobby. The state of Michigan is currently toughening the medical marijuana statute to bring some sanity and reserve to the ad hoc, free-for-all foisted upon the state with illegal dispensaries and shameless profiteers who have spoiled the noble intent of providing relief to desperately ill patients. Medical marijuana should be exceedingly regulated and prescribed for only the gravest diseases. That's what most Michigan voters believed when they voted for the law.

HardWorker

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 2:42 p.m.

Bad, bad, bad. The headline is so confusing and it couldn't be worse. "Crash leads to arrest of man police say drove after smoking pot" No sense. A man doesn't drive a crash. Or do you mean that the police smoked pot, then said that the man drove? Then the first sentence is as messed up as the title. Avoiding redundant phrases "police said", "the summary said" would make these articles more concise. A better title would be: "Driver arrested after smoking pot and crashing" News producers: Way to go!

djm12652

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 2:19 p.m.

Did he drop his MM card?

tdw

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 : 1:50 p.m.

Was he driving too slow ?