J. M. Stovall said:Those 50,000 people all had families too, so speeding is still no big deal?
"The Road and Traffic Authority (RTA) state that the inappropriate use of speed (which is known there as "speeding") is a factor in about 40 per cent of road deaths."
To put that into perspective, according to the World Almanacs, Life Insurance Actuarial (death) Rates, and the U.S. Surgeon Generals' reports for the last 20 years, tobacco kills between 340,000 to 450,000 people per year. Alcohol, not including the 50 percent of all automobile deaths, kills over 150,000 people per year. Caffeine, such as can be found in coffee, triggers 1,000 to 10,000 deaths per year from stress, ulcers, and triggering irregular heartbeats. Legal drug overdoses weigh in with 14,000 to 27,000 deaths per year.
Marijauna, according to these sources, kills zero. However, for some unexplainable reason, it is still illegal and still highly overpenalized. In 2004, there were more pot related arrests than all other arrests combined. For a nation with a problem of prison overcrowding and underfunding, continuing the criminalization of marijauna seems rather illogical.
I don't smoke pot, but it being illegal just doesn't make sense to me. As for it being a gateway drug, alcohol comes in way before pot.
I completely agree that the criminilization is pointless and the history of pot criminilization has more to do with politics than it had to do with a problem to society. Hearst was part of it, anti immigrant hysteria was also part of it.
But i do think it is likely that a few people die from driving under the influence of pot. And if Maryanne was swerving and driving badly, that might be a reason to prosecute.
On the other hand, I tend to think most pot smokers are safer than drunk drivers, but I woud just as soon, my pilot, my bus driver, my truck driver, and fellow drivers not be under the influence of anything.