An unfortunate side effect of legalizing marijuana

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The legalization of marijuana is a hotly disputed topic. For the first time in decades, recreational marijuana is completely legal in a handful of states like Washington. Many other states are beginning to take similar measures in a path towards legalization but there is one unpleasant side effect that not many people think of. Whether recreational or medical, if you legalize marijuana, you need to establish proper protocols for how law enforcement will handle DUI laws as they pertain to marijuana consumption.

Motorists are being convicted of driving under the
influence of marijuana based on arbitrary state standards that have no
connection to whether the driver was actually impaired, says a study by
the nation’s largest auto club.

The problem is only growing as
more states contemplate legalizing the drug. At least three, and
possibly as many as 11 states, will vote this fall on ballot measures to
legalize marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, or both.
Legislation to legalize the drug has also been introduced in a half
dozen states.

Currently, six states where medical or recreational
marijuana use is legal – Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania
and Washington – have set specific limits for THC, the chemical in
marijuana that makes people high, in drivers’ blood. But the study by
AAA’s safety foundation says the limits have no scientific basis and can
result in innocent drivers being convicted, and guilty drivers being
released.

“There is understandably a strong desire by both
lawmakers and the public to create legal limits for marijuana impairment
in the same manner we do alcohol,” said Marshall Doney, AAA’s president
and CEO. “In the case of marijuana, this approach is flawed and not
supported by scientific research.”

Read more at: http://bit.ly/1T9wlzH

Crime rate on the rise but what does that mean?

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There are quite a lot of drawbacks to the constant flow of news that this generation is exposed to. It is great that we get to hear about the latest event while it is happening but that gives us very little time for fact checking and for information to really be understood. People regurgitate information based on just headlines. So, if you’re wondering what the state of San Diego crime really is, take a look at this.

The overall crime rate in San Diego County increased in 2015 by six percent although the region’s violent crime rate was the second lowest since 1980. NBC 7’s Vanessa Herrera reports.
(Published Thursday, April 14, 2016)

The overall crime rate in San Diego County increased in 2015 by six percent although the region’s violent crime rate was the second lowest since 1980. 

A new report released Wednesday by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) focused on crime trends. 

The report, Thirty-Six Years of Crime in the San Diego Region: 1980 Through 2015, includes a breakdown of crime statistics by community. 

More than 74,000 violent and property crimes were reported in 2015. That averages out to just more than 200 crimes per day. 

Of those, 85 percent were property crimes. 

Images showing the crime rates for San Diego County as released by SANDAG’s annual report.

Photo credit: SANDAG

San Diego County’s violent crime rate was the second lowest it’s been since 1980. 

There were 10,938 violent crimes in 2015 including reports of homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. 

“Despite this year’s uptick, the crime rate was still the second lowest since 1980,” Dr. Cynthia Burke, director of SANDAG’s Criminal Justice Research Division said in the agency’s news release. “And the region still has one of lowest crime rates in the nation.”

Read the report here.

SANDAG works to develop transportation, housing, open space, energy, public safety, and binational projects.

Published at 8:55 AM PDT on Apr 14, 2016

Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Crime-Rate-San-Diego-By-Community-375713971.html

The Chargers are moving

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