Pubdate: Thu, 17 Mar 2005
Source: Athens News, The (OH)
Copyright: 2005, Athens News
Contact:  http://www.athensnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603
Author: Clifford Schaffer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving)

DRUGGED-DRIVING LAW WILL PENALIZE FOR BEHAVIOR UNRELATED TO DRIVING

In his letter of March 10, Steven Mette missed some important points. The 
first is that drugged driving is a separate offense from merely using 
marijuana. In the United States, we require that people actually be guilty 
of the specific crime for which they are charged -- not some other crime. 
The fact that they may have used marijuana at some point in the past -- 
while it may be illegal -- isn't proof that someone is currently driving 
while intoxicated.

The second comes when he asserts that, if someone was pulled over and some 
blood was drawn, then they were probably doing something else wrong. Well, 
they may have been doing something else wrong, but if they were, doesn't it 
make a whole lot more sense to prosecute them for what they actually did, 
rather than some factually unsupportable assertion that they were driving 
while drugged?

Does Steven Mette believe in convicting people for crimes they actually 
commit, or does he think it is OK to jail them under any excuse just 
because a cop pulled them over? That is the critical difference in the 
proposed law.

Clifford Schaffer

Director, DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy

Agua Dulce, Calif. 
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MAP posted-by: Beth