Stoners causing more auto accidents in idiot states that have legalized pot

Getting stoned affects your ability to drive safely. You wouldn't think that would be a major revelation. For most people, it's common sense. But in an age when we're seeing a concerted propaganda campaign that claims marijuana is either a) not harmful at all, which is absurd; or b) "less harmful than alcohol," which is meaningless. If you're going to do something stupid, the proper comparison is not to what would have happened if you'd done some other stupid thing. It's to if you'd not done anything stupid at all. We already know that marijuana breeds irresponsibility, especially in younger users, and it's long been understood that it affects both the depth perception and the reflexes of people behind the wheels of cars.

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So, your idiot state legalizes "recreational" pot-smoking, which means more people will use it, and they'll use it more often. What a surprise, then, when this happens:

Legalized recreational marijuana use in Colorado, Oregon and Washington correlates to about a 3 percent increase in auto collision claim frequencies compared to states without such legislation, according to a new Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) study. It's the first one the group has conducted since the drug went on sale legally. "More drivers admit to using marijuana, and it is showing up more frequently among people involved in crashes," the study said. . . . Colorado saw the largest estimated increase in claim frequency -- 14 percent more than its bordering states, while Washington state was 6 percent greater and Oregon had a 4 percent increase. Allowing for the total control group, "the combined effect for the three states was a smaller, but still significant at 3 percent," said HLDI Vice President Matt Moore.

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The group used collision claims because they are the most frequent kind insurers receive. Drivers file these claims for damage to their vehicle in a crash with an object or with another vehicle, generally when the driver is at fault, the HLDI said. The HLDI said it's preparing for more of these studies and has already begun a "large-scale case-control study" in Oregon to find out if usage could be causing automotive injuries. But the auto insurance industry's position on legalized marijuana is already crystal clear. "Worries that legalized marijuana is increasing crash rates aren't misplaced," said David Zuby, chief research officer of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "The HLDI's findings on the early experience in Colorado, Oregon and Washington should give other states eyeing legalization pause."

Stoner groups - people whose entire lives revolve around baking their brains - dispute the results of the study, of course. It's what they do. Nothing matters more to them than attacking every notion in people's minds that there is something wrong with getting high, because that might make it harder for them to do so as often as they want to - which is all the time.

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And even the fact that people are getting hurt on the roads doesn't outweigh, for them, the desire to get stoned without legal consequence. Marijuana advocates are selfish, awful human beings. They put their own desire to get high above not only their own health and well-being, but above the health, well-being and safety of those around them. They're liars too. They won't even admit their agenda is to get stoned, so they pretend it's about "medicine" or whatever other rot and misdirection they try to sell. The next time you hear people in your state demanding that pot be legalized, and claiming it's not harmful, remember this story and the many others that have run here and elsewhere about the real dangers of pot smoking. And don't agree to change the laws of your state to help people who want to do nothing more than toke up and get blitzed. That's not worthy of any respect. The only thing these people deserve is a swift kick in the ass.

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