Tag Archives: Driving under the influence

Does This Surprise Anyone?

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Recently, The American College of Surgeons released a report highlighting the dangers of driving while under the influence of marijuana. The report is based on a six-year study of a major Ohio county. It is interesting that the study showed no change in THC positivity after legalization. The report is cited in an article posted at facs.org.

The Key Takeaways of the report are listed below”

  • In a review of 246 deceased drivers, 41.9% tested positive for active THC in their blood, with an average level of 30.7 ng/mL — far exceeding most state impairment limits.
  • The high rate of THC positivity remained consistent over six years and was unaffected by the state’s legalization of recreational cannabis during the study period.
  • Messaging around the dangers of smoking cannabis and driving needs to be stronger, authors argue. 

The article reports:

The research will be presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025 in Chicago, October 4–7. 

Researchers analyzed coroner records from Montgomery County in Ohio from January 2019 to September 2024, focusing on 246 deceased drivers who were tested for THC following a fatal crash. When autopsies are performed, drug screening is typically part of the process. The study period included the state’s legalization of recreational cannabis in 2023. 

“I was surprised to see that level,” said lead author Akpofure P. Ekeh, MBBS, FACS, a professor of surgery at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. “An average level of 30.7 ng/mL generally means those people must have consumed marijuana at some time close to driving. This isn’t about residual use; it’s about recent consumption.” 

…The study notes that blood THC levels are typically drawn by the coroner within hours of death, providing an accurate snapshot of a driver’s state at the time of the crash. Most states that have set legal limits for driving range from 2 to 5 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) — a threshold the average level in this study (30.7 ng/mL) far exceeded. 

“The messaging over the last few years has been just the push towards recreational legalization,” Dr. Ekeh noted. “The problem is that from a public health standpoint, there has not been enough emphasis on some of the downsides and the dangers that can occur. People should treat smoking marijuana just like they treat alcohol: don’t smoke and drive.” 

It is interesting that the legalization marijuana did not impact the numbers of people driving while under the influence of the drug. This could be considered another reason NOT to legalize recreational marijuana–legalization does not solve problems–it simply legalizes a problem that is already there.

What Is The Penalty For A U.S. Citizen?

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An American who is arrested for Driving Under the Influence faces jail time, losing his license, and heavy fines. What should the penalty be for a person who is here illegally who is arrested for Driving Under the Influence?

On Thursday, The Conservative Review reported that 150 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted against a measure to state that aliens who drive “while intoxicated or impaired” are inadmissible and, if convicted of such an offense, deportable. How in the world would voting against the measure keep Americans safe?

The article reports:

In a bipartisan 274-150 vote, the House of Representatives passed a measure on Thursday that would declare that aliens who drive “while intoxicated or impaired” are inadmissible and, if convicted of such an offense, deportable.

The 150 lawmakers who voted against the measure were all Democrats. But 59 other Democrats joined 215 Republicans in voting to approve the measure.

“Any alien who has been convicted of an offense for driving while intoxicated or impaired, as those terms are defined under the law of the jurisdiction where the conviction occurred (including a conviction for driving while under the influence of or impaired by alcohol or drugs), without regard to whether the conviction is classified as a misdemeanor or felony under Federal, State, tribal, or local law, is deportable,” the measure reads.

There is currently on the books a law making an illegal deportable if he is guilty of moral turpitude. This law simply clarifies the current law. At any rate, isn’t entering a country illegally breaking the law? Shouldn’t that be subject to deportation?

At Least He Is Being Tried

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The Boston Herald reported today on some of the tactics being used by President Obama’s half-uncle Onyango Obama, who was arrested on a drunk driving charge.

The article reports:

Obama’s lawyers, P. Scott Bratton and William L. Harvey III, requested the records after learning Krishtal had totaled his cruiser in November, smashing into a stone wall en route to a report of shots being fired. They say the patrolman may have been driving too fast just before the Obama stop, in which the president’s uncle turned into traffic, cut the officer off and forced him to slam on his brakes.

It really doesn’t matter what the officer’s record was, Onyango Obama had a blood alcohol level of  0.14. Evidently Mr. Obama’s lawyers intend to challenge the blood alcohol test as well as the driving record of the arresting officer.

The article further reports:

“It’s sort of discouraging” said James Machado, a Fall River police sergeant and executive director of the Massachusetts Police Association. “I understand defense attorneys taking tacks and questioning police officers’ integrity, but to bring someone else’s record out there? What influence would that have on him doing his job? If you have motor vehicle violations, you can’t give out citations?”

The sort of defense planned by Mr. Obama’s legal team shows a basic disrespect for the law. Mr. Obama needs to accept the charges against him and face the consequences of his actions.

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I Guess It Really Does Matter Who You Know

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Boston.com reports today that Uncle Omar has been released from jail.

In case you have forgotten, Uncle Omar is Onyango Obama. He was arrested for drunk driving on August 24 by Framingham, Massachusetts police.

The article reports:

Onyango Obama came to America in 1963 to attend a prestigious preparatory school in Cambridge but dropped out and was initially ordered to leave the country in 1989. He appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals, but lost in 1992.

Earlier this month, Bratton said Obama would fight deportation and hoped to remain in the United States. Obama has lived here for almost 50 years, since he was a young man under the limited supervision of the president’s late father.

Obama had worked for the past five years at Conti Liquors in Framingham, where he was praised as a good worker and beloved employee.

Is the job at Conti Liquors in Framingham a job Americans won’t do? Otherwise, he is taking a job away from an American while he is here illegally. Did the liquor store know he was here illegally? Did they ever check? How many Uncle Omars are out there working illegallly while Americans are unemployed?

The article also reports:

As a result of the immigration agency’s refusal to discuss the case, it is unclear what happened to Obama after he left the Plymouth County House of Correction – or whether he could be returned to jail.

An official at the Plymouth County House of Correction who would not give his name said yesterday afternoon that Obama was no longer in custody. He had been taken to Burlington, where US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has offices, he said.

If his name was John Smith, would he still be in jail?

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