<p>So i've been pretty good friends with this kid in my class since 6th grade. We play on sports teams together and generally get along well. However, this past year or so he has gotten into the underage drinking/pot-smoking/partying scene, which is something that I avoid. It really has never been a problem. He understands that i'm not into that stuff so once school or practice gets out, we go our own ways. However, today he asked me to pick him up and drive him to our school football game because he is going to be too "f-ed up" to take himself. So i guess my predicament is balancing my liability with our friendship. Do I tell him, "No, find another ride"? There is a good chance his other ride will be he himself, so effectively i would be telling him to drive impaired. Is that any better? What if i tell him he can do whatever he wants at home, but not to bring anything into my car? Would that still put me at risk if we are pulled over and/or find ourselves in some unforseen circumstance (i.e. accident?)</p>
<p>Thanks for your input, though, i probably will have to make a decision before i get any responses</p>
<p>I would never drive someone in my car who was high/drunk, but this is my PERSONAL preference. First, is it your car? If not, then your parents definitely have a right to know who's in it. Ask them. If they tell you to drive the kid home, or offer to do it themselves, follow their advice. It would be wrong for you not to mention it, or to do it even though they said not to.</p>
<p>Alternatively, you could call the kid's parents and tell them he needs a ride, but you can't give it to him.</p>
<p>Or you could drive him. But I don't understand why you would want to do that. There is a risk, and having a high person in your car is kind of weird, or so I've heard from people who have been in your position and chose to act as a chauffeur for the drunk/high. </p>
<p>To be honest, I would probably tell his parents he needs a ride, but that is not a popular opinion on this board.</p>
<p>Well, if he'll only be under the influence of cannabis (and has some experience with it, lol), then I suppose you could let him drive alone, as the degree to which it "impairs" your ability to operate a motor vehicle is negligible. He shouldn't be too bad a passenger if pot's the only thing in his system, either, haha, so I gues syou could drive him.</p>
<p>Alcohol, on the other hand, would severely tarnish his driving ability, so it would be best (from his perspective) to not drive. If you don't feel comfortable taking him, though, why not just have him call a taxi?</p>
<p>I don't think you'd be at all liable (in the case of police involvement) if he was simply high or drunk or something as a passenger in the car, although they'd probably want to check you out too, and they'd look at you with some suspicion because of his presence there (the only thing I can possibly think of is like "failure to report a crime" or something, but you of course could plea ignorance or something similar. Doubt anything would become of it).</p>
<p>It changes, of course, if he's in possession of illicit drugs, or if there's an open container of alcohol in the car, or if any of those other unlawful things occur. If it's just inside him, though, I don't think anything would happen to you (besides all the time you'd waste going down to the station and whatnot).</p>
<p>Marijuana can impair the brain enough to cause accidents.</p>
<p>"Heavy marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form memories, recall events (see Marijuana, Memory, and the Hippocampus), and shift attention from one thing to another.8,33 THC also disrupts coordination and balance by binding to receptors in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, parts of the brain that regulate balance, posture, coordination of movement, and reaction time.11 Through its effects on the brain and body, marijuana intoxication can cause accidents. Studies show that approximately 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. In many of these cases, alcohol is detected as well.34, 35, 36</p>
<p>In a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance; however, the effects of even a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than for either drug alone37. Driving indices measured included reaction time, visual search frequency (driver checking side streets), and the ability to perceive and/or respond to changes in the relative velocity of other vehicles.</p>
<p>Marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization - a loss of the sense of personal identity, or self-recognition.10,15 Although the specific causes of these symptoms remain unknown, they appear to occur more frequently when a high dose of cannabis is consumed in food or drink rather than smoked." NIDA</a> - Research Report Series - Marijuana Abuse</p>
<p>Either drive him or don't. It's your choice. There is no need to get any parents involved. Weed isn't going to kill him (unless he gets in a car accident driving alone), and unless he begins doing heroin you really have no reason to alert his parents.</p>
<p>You can't get in trouble for having someone who's high/drunk in your car, unless there's pot/alcohol in there. </p>
<p>I think it'd be a good idea to drive him and keep him out of danger. Just let him know that he can't count on you to do that for him always -- you're not gonna be his chauffeur. </p>
<p>wow are you his friend? drive him if he needs it...dont expect to be his "friend" and not do simple favors such as driving him when he is messed up.</p>
<p>"Studies show that approximately 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. "
Just for clarification purposes, THC from marijuana stays in your blood/fat/urine for almost a month, implying that you don't have to be high/altered to have THC in your system. That statistic isn't really a good one to work against marijuana and driving.
Just drive the guy. It's better than him killing himself and others.</p>
<p>P.S. Every time I see this thread I imagine the body being like "my only friend has turned to drugs and no longer hangs out with me... what do I do now that he won't come over and play videogames with me :(" and then I remember that it actually had a legit question in it and wasn't ridiculous like thattt.</p>
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Either drive him or don't. It's your choice. There is no need to get any parents involved. Weed isn't going to kill him (unless he gets in a car accident driving alone), and unless he begins doing heroin you really have no reason to alert his parents.
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Agreed with this and zzzboy, but I guess it's too late now.</p>