Pubdate: Thu, 26 May 2016
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)
Copyright: 2016 Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact: http://www.reviewjournal.com/about/print/press/letterstoeditor.html
Website: http://www.lvrj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/233
Author: Richard Shengulette

DRUGGED DRIVING

Regarding the drug issue, let's cut through all the political 
correctness and revert to reality.

For most of my adult years, I drove big rigs. Perhaps you are aware 
of a federal law stating that any driver can be drug tested at any 
time. I wonder how this would work for all the drug users. As soon as 
a company looking for quality employees at top wages mentions a drug 
screening test, half of the potential applicants spontaneously get up 
and leave.

Am I missing something? Have I not heard that people cannot find 
jobs? Has the press, on numerous occasions reported that American 
companies are hiring foreign workers? Has the excuse not been given 
that our educational system is not meeting employers' needs for 
highly specialized jobs?

On one single-lane highway traversing the eastern shore of Virginia 
and Maryland, there are flashing signs warning about drug-sniffing 
dogs. The brakes and tires screech as the oncoming cars exit, waiting 
in line to make illegal U-turns. Too late, as the police, expecting 
such behavior, start pulling over drivers and handing out tickets.

I was on a highway, approaching a tunnel. A car was noticeably 
hesitating, as it also approached the tunnel. As I crested the hill, 
there was the car, stopped dead in the middle of the Interstate in my 
lane. It was all I could do, mustering my 30 years experience, to 
keep my rig upright and my life intact. Was the car's driver on 
drugs? Although I will never know, what I do know is the police were 
too busy stopping drivers making illegal U-turns to do any drug testing.

Now we have a debate as to whether to legalize drugs - not just 
marijuana - in Nevada. What are we to do, should drugs become 
legalized here? How many cars will the police find, stopped in the 
middle of the road because the drivers' minds are too dulled to know 
how to navigate the roadway? How many people are going to die because 
of unexpected maneuvers by drugged drivers?

And, by the way, who are the people who want to legalize drugs?

More significantly, who are the politicians who want to pass this 
legalization? So many of our officials, high and low, are users. 
Who's minding the hen house?

Richard Shengulette

Las Vegas
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom