Drink vs drug driving.
Discussion
A neighbour of mine is a custody sgt. He thinks around 2 people are arrested for driving under the influence of drugs for every one arrested for drink driving.
He isn’t sure how the conviction rate for the drug driving varies from the 80% odd arrest to conviction rate for drink. West Midlands, if that is significant.
Anyone any experience?
He isn’t sure how the conviction rate for the drug driving varies from the 80% odd arrest to conviction rate for drink. West Midlands, if that is significant.
Anyone any experience?
Shuvi McTupya said:
Not sure but a lot of those wont actually be under the influence. If alcohol stayed in your system for a week or two i am sure the figures would be very different!
That was what I was wondering, drink is arrest and test, job done, drugs is arrest and send away and wait. How many ‘false positives’ ?cptsideways said:
Arrests in Dorset have been in the region of 16:1 the latter being alcohol
That's ridiculous! As far as i know there isnt any evidence that having a bit of weed in your system makes you a danger on the road..in my experience (historically) it made me drive like an old lady..HustleRussell said:
I regularly smell pot being smoked when I’m driving along, I would hope that a lot of drug driving convictions would be as a result of this kind of brazen behaviour.
Personally. I think they should do some kind of physical roadside sobriety test to see if you are ok to drive, and just charge you with possession of your illegal drugs if you pass the test.If you can fail the drug test days after your last use then it’s ridiculous.
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
This has been discussed before.
A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
Flumpo said:
If you can fail the drug test days after your last use then it’s ridiculous.
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
He's grown his hair out over the years, but has had a smarten up before he moves house next month
His kilted rival in the 'Brex-Factor' quarter finals
still looks wired though
Flumpo said:
If you can fail the drug test days after your last use then it’s ridiculous.
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
It has been discussed many times. The levels we test for, are below those where it can be called impairment but they are well above those where there is still a significantly increased risk of accidents. It is double standards in one way, in that we set the bar higher for alcohol. I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
It is, however, exactly the same limit as Canada where Cannabis is legal. Canada also use combined levels of drugs and alcohol so in practice Canada is lower.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I actually dont think that weed is 'harmless' in 'our' society. Over use of it will almost certainly have an effect on you wanting to get up and go to work for 10 hours every day for fifty years, just so you can then rest your weary body for a few years before you die, and of course, what with it being criminalised you could also make your self unemployable by getting caught using it.In a different world though, I dont see why smoking a spliff every day before you got out of bed would ever really cause the average person any harm.
Of course, different drugs have different effects (otherwise what would be the point) and i personally think that some drugs make you a more dangerous driver and some (within reason) do not. I cant imagine a scenario where trace elements of a spliff you had the previous day would make you any more of a danger on the road than having a beer the day before getting behind the wheel, but you can lose your job and livelihood and potentially your liberty i imagine for one, but not the other even though the punishment benefits nobody.
RogerDodger said:
This has been discussed before.
A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
Well there's an easy way around that "unfairness"A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
Don't smoke or take illegal drugs
Always the same problem with unregulated drugs, that rollup that you were given , was it low grade cannabis or some high strength skunk ? Was it also laced with god knows what . I have a couple of members of extended family that smoke weed very regularly, both have behaviour problems and I certainly would never get in their cars . One managed to roll a car at legal speed on a straight road .
Don't forget the people being tested, it's the same grounds testing drink drivers...
The quality of their driving has drawn attention to them for some reason, usually because it is below the standard required.
Anybody I've drug swiped tested, I would have previously arrested for Sec4 so it's not like the people I'm testing are presenting normally anyway it just happens police now have better tools at their disposal.
The road side tests are also only to allow you grounds to take bloods in custody which are then analysed, if it transpires your bloods come back as a negative result no further action is taken and you aren't on an interim ban for this period so it doesn't have a massive impact on you.
Or even easier way to not stress, don't use illegal drugs, regardless of individuals points if view, rightly or wrongly they are still illegal.
The quality of their driving has drawn attention to them for some reason, usually because it is below the standard required.
Anybody I've drug swiped tested, I would have previously arrested for Sec4 so it's not like the people I'm testing are presenting normally anyway it just happens police now have better tools at their disposal.
The road side tests are also only to allow you grounds to take bloods in custody which are then analysed, if it transpires your bloods come back as a negative result no further action is taken and you aren't on an interim ban for this period so it doesn't have a massive impact on you.
Or even easier way to not stress, don't use illegal drugs, regardless of individuals points if view, rightly or wrongly they are still illegal.
RogerDodger said:
This has been discussed before.
A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
Alternatively don't break the law and smoke cannabis and you will never get caught out. A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
ED209 said:
Alternatively don't break the law and smoke cannabis and you will never get caught out.
Alternatively, think for yourself, make judgements that you believe are sound, don't base your decisions on a prohibition that was passed to us from an American zealot, who based his decisions on the fear that drugs made black people lose control and rape white women. Drug prohibition was founded on American race fear by a gentleman called Harry Anslinger in the 1920s. Look it up. Until then, drug use was as normal as alcohol use and caused no problems at all. Prohibition caused what we now know as the war on drugs, which causes immeasurably more damage than the drugs themselves.
Whilst you are at it, read a best selling book called "chasing the scream". I challenge you. It's fascinating and will also change your view of drug addicts for life.
Just because something is illegal doesn't make it bad. Drugs are illegal for political reasons.
Alcohol is a drug too. Rated in official studies as the most harmful of all drugs, based on harm to the users, and their harm to others.
Alternatively , just do as you are told.
RogerDodger said:
Alternatively, think for yourself, make judgements that you believe are sound, don't base your decisions on a prohibition that was passed to us from an American zealot, who based his decisions on the fear that drugs made black people lose control and rape white women.
Drug prohibition was founded on American race fear by a gentleman called Harry Anslinger in the 1920s. Look it up. Until then, drug use was as normal as alcohol use and caused no problems at all. Prohibition caused what we now know as the war on drugs, which causes immeasurably more damage than the drugs themselves.
Whilst you are at it, read a best selling book called "chasing the scream". I challenge you. It's fascinating and will also change your view of drug addicts for life.
Just because something is illegal doesn't make it bad. Drugs are illegal for political reasons.
Alcohol is a drug too. Rated in official studies as the most harmful of all drugs, based on harm to the users, and their harm to others.
Alternatively , just do as you are told.
Drugs are harmful and in some cases also illegal. Prior to the 1920s drug use caused lots of problems including a pretty famous war. Drug prohibition was founded on American race fear by a gentleman called Harry Anslinger in the 1920s. Look it up. Until then, drug use was as normal as alcohol use and caused no problems at all. Prohibition caused what we now know as the war on drugs, which causes immeasurably more damage than the drugs themselves.
Whilst you are at it, read a best selling book called "chasing the scream". I challenge you. It's fascinating and will also change your view of drug addicts for life.
Just because something is illegal doesn't make it bad. Drugs are illegal for political reasons.
Alcohol is a drug too. Rated in official studies as the most harmful of all drugs, based on harm to the users, and their harm to others.
Alternatively , just do as you are told.
Edited by Graveworm on Friday 14th June 11:07
Shuvi McTupya said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I actually dont think that weed is 'harmless' in 'our' society. Over use of it will almost certainly have an effect on you wanting to get up and go to work for 10 hours every day for fifty years, just so you can then rest your weary body for a few years before you die, and of course, what with it being criminalised you could also make your self unemployable by getting caught using it.In a different world though, I dont see why smoking a spliff every day before you got out of bed would ever really cause the average person any harm.
Of course, different drugs have different effects (otherwise what would be the point) and i personally think that some drugs make you a more dangerous driver and some (within reason) do not. I cant imagine a scenario where trace elements of a spliff you had the previous day would make you any more of a danger on the road than having a beer the day before getting behind the wheel, but you can lose your job and livelihood and potentially your liberty i imagine for one, but not the other even though the punishment benefits nobody.
I certainly would not have a spliff for breakfast, but I know people who do, and they are so used to it that is has little effect. But then they don't work (they smoke for pain relief).
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