Quote:
Originally Posted by fmichael
Of course a per se standard is the easiest way of assuring prosecutions, but it's built on an assumption that's not supported by the medical literature: that any measurable amount of certain drugs in your system makes you an unsafe diver. But the only reason they take the position in the first place is because they don't want to go to the burden and expense of setting precise limits through verified medical studies standards and relatively exacting testing, in order to set and enforce limits, as we have done with alcohol.
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This was my point when I said you can find articles to support any position.
I don't know how they could even go about setting limits based on amounts of certain drugs in someone's system. It's not just the presence, and it's not the amount either; it's the effect it has on the person's judgment, reflexes, cognitive functions, etc. Abusers/recreational users (those using for the "high" or psychotropic effect) are the real problem - not legitimate pain patients with established tolerance. Impairment can also stem from emotional stress, fatigue (lack of sleep), pain.
It would make more sense to devise a portable field simulator to test driving ability, but that might open the political hotspot of re-testing elderly drivers, and that may be getting a little
Doc