abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/mexican-citizens-traveling-work-florida-farm-pickup-hit-110246361
Driver said he smoked pot oil, took medication before Florida crash that killed 8 Mexican workers
Or done it, I guess.
Manfred you're a thorough thinking cat
"Oh crap! I shouldn't have sideswiped that bus! Oh crap! I shouldn't have said I smoked pot oil! Oh crap! I certainly shouldn't have said I also took medication!"
Solid simpsons ref
Glad someone appreciated it haha
Eh, it's too hot today.
Everybody has the right to remain silent, but very few people have the brains to.
"He told an investigator that he had crashed his mother’s car into a tree while avoiding an animal a few days earlier, and that on Monday night he had taken two anti-seizure drugs and medication for high blood pressure in addition to smoking marijuana oil. He said he woke up about five hours later and was driving to a methadone clinic where he receives daily medication for a chipped vertebrae, according to the affidavit."
Sound's like he is on too many drugs to use his brain lol.
I think the pot oil is the least important factor, after methadone, antiseizure meds and potential head injuries.
At that point I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability.
Hey, I was drunk in a bar! They THREW me into public.
Arrest them.
Okay Tater Salad.
He just killed 8 people, some people’s conscious takes hold. Hate break it to you but either way he was going get a toxicology report done.
You know when the cops say "You have the right to remain silent?" This is what they're talking about. He just made his lawyer's job much, much harder.
Too bad, I don't care that he fucked himself over, he's a terrible person, who earned his long prison sentence.
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People don't understand that in the eyes of the law impairment is impairment. It doesn't matter if you're on sleeping pills or heroin. The consequences are the same and you only get brownie points for being cooperative when they need you to be to make their case.
Yes but on perscibed sleeping pills will probably result in a less severe punishment then on illegal drugs or alcohol. Not saying it's right but that is usually the case.
I feel like you'd probably still get the DUI or any other charges, such as manslaughter if you killed someone. Judges know that those prescription bottles tell you specifically not to operate machinery or drive a motor vehicle after taking them, so arguing that it was prescribed to you or that it was sold by CVS or something probably won't matter.
It's like when a diagnosed epileptic who knows they're prone to seizures decides to drive and has a seizure during. That epileptic person is going to get charged in a way a person who had a random unpredictable seizure wouldn't have been, because it's no longer seen as a medical emergency but as a reckless driving issue. Because the diagnosed driver in that case was aware of the fact that they weren't supposed to drive in their condition and that doing so presented a substantial risk. Just like someone who takes their prescription sleeping pills and then decides to make a quick run to the drive-thru despite the warning.
Yes but I feel like it's the difference between getting 5-10 years in prison and 20+. Of course I know someone who killed a person while drunk driving and they served a year and a day in prison.
It’s Florida, he’ll only have to pay the deductible.
It’s Florida, he’s probably driving without insurance
It was self defense.
Introducing the "Stand Your Ground Anywhere If Their Skin is Brown" law.
You sure this isn't a thing already?
Source: in Florida rtfn
Considering who the victims are nothing will happen. Some people might even hail him a hero.
Driver will probably have to compensate the employer for the missed revenue.
No employer will admit to "employing" them. And their boss probably has MAGA and Build the Wall signs in his front yard.
And the effort they now have to make to catch more indentured servants
It's a good thing so many criminals are too stupid to answer "lawyer" to any questions asked
Nah that's exactly what you say, you remember the lady who got mental health and probation for murdering her boyfriend cuz she was "high"?
"got mental health" is a pretty nice way of saying "was institutionalized"
He said he smoke thc oil the night before and was on his way to the methadone clinic.
I got insanely drunk before I drove today.
It was about 10 years ago at home. But it was still before I drove today
TIL I drank thousands of beers before I drove today
Uh, that doesn't sound much better
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He will be given a life sentence.
I mean, he killed 8 people…
But those eight people are brown and this was in Florida.
You're right. Will be given the keys to the city
As he should. As a daily user, Fuck people who sit behind the wheels under influence of any drugs
How long after taking a big bong rip is acceptable to go driving? In my state, which is legal, any amount in your system can get you a DUI. So for me I can’t technically drive for about 14 days.
Right. I don’t drive for about 2-3 hours after and not with any side effects but like, I can’t not drive for the months it would take me to pee clean at this point.
I say 2 hours minimum, but everyone’s different and you have to use your own judgement, sometimes it’s longer
A daily pot smoker will probably be fine after 2 hours but someone who only smokes on occasion or not at all should wait longer. Of course I know plenty of people who "drive better high" and smoke right before leaving. No one sees weed as driving impaired.
I was a daily smoker until recently, and I still saw it as impaired driving because it absolutely is. It slows your reaction speed and changes your judgement.
Those people are pieces of shit. No offense if you’re close to them
They are family and yeah they are shit heads
It’s probably 4-6 hours per joint (4.5 was the recommended time from one study) & longer for edibles.
If you’re a pot smoker please know this one study also said participants misjudged their soberness & assumed they were no longer impaired earlier than they actually were.
Be safe out there!
Some cannabis breathalyzer company detects for 3 hours after smoking, so waiting 3 hours is probably a safe bet.
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Yeah you’re right, I’m just saying that they’ll detect it for that long. I’m sure it’s dose dependent.
They test for active THC in your saliva or blood usually. That test would indicate that you were under the influence and that your faculties were diminished. The 14 day test, urine or blood, would be for the THC metabolites which would indicate that you smoke in the last 14 days, not meaning that you were under the influence when being tested.
Yeah, it’s not that hard. I can tell you when people drive drunk or high they never think “something bad could happen”. It’s insane.
I dunno, I think cannabis has a lot more potential to give someone anxiety and paranoia(rightfully) about driving high. Hell, often I don't want to walk to the store because "they'll know I'm high!"
Yeahhhh can't agree with you there chief. You don't want my ADD ass driving without my adderall lol.
Edit: just to be clear, the US air force gives bottles of adderall to fighter pilots because of how precise it allows them to be. My point here is that the drug matters.
Tylenol is also a drug. This comment is stupid.
Yeah man, everyone who drinks coffee needs to take the bus.
It was the night before he did the oil, not sure he knew exactly what was in it if he was still experiencing effects from it though.
Should have called an ambulance or gotten someone else to drive him but he probably wasn’t thinking clearly while making the decision to drive.
I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve jail time because he did kill 8 people but the circumstances are strange.
Oom yeah I don't think he would be under influence if he had only smoked the night before. I vape tiny 0.1g bowls but no matter how high I am, 4.5 hours of sleep sobers me up. I said that about people who you know drunk drive or smoke a joint right before or while driving
There are idiots out there who believe that weed isn't a drug and that it's okay to drive because you're not "under the influence"
In Florida? For killing Mexicans? He will be given the governor’s medal of freedom
He's only being charged with manslaughter. Very likely it's not life, although Florida law is a different animal. The governor probably gives him a medal for this.
Sadly. Dui manslaughter in fl is 15 years max
Texas pardoned the clown who drove thru protestors. I doubt this guy even serves a day in prison cuz you know, Florida…
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I thought they meant cooking oil by "pot oil".
Sensationalized headline.
In the pickup truck driver's arrest report, state troopers say Howard had bloodshot and watery eyes and slurred speech after the crash, which he said he didn’t remember.
This guy is most likely drunk as well, and not just high on "pot oil".
Edit: It could have been the benzos that he took. His history also inludes cocaine use, so he does indulge in polypharmacy. No one should get behind the wheel if they are under the influence of anything, but THC alone doesn't cause slurred speech.
I’m sure they did bloodwork and if he was drunk it would have shown up.
I like weed and think it should be legal, but if recreational usage is ever going to be accepted nationwide then we have to be honest about the real dangers that can come with its use and operating vehicles of all kinds.
I mean…..ingesting THC certainly does make your eyes bloodshot. Slurring words could be attributed to the medication, depending on what he took.
It wasn't the vape or cart that did him in, it was the benzo. Read the article, this dude ingested 3 strong meds just hours before driving. Benzos are really good at calming anxiety, they do their job well, but they absolutely will make most people really drowsy. I'm not saying people should drive when high or stoned, of course not, but it was the benzo and one of the other meds that caused this.
Exactly, you can get a DUI for benadryl let alone a benzo.
Yeah. Exactly. Obviously people should not drive when high or stoned off weed, but if you read the article he took 3 strong meds in addition to the weed. A benzo and an anti-seizure medicine will absolutely cause drowsy and risky driving.
The sad thing is that most people only read headlines and not the actual article, so they assume some weed caused all of this, while ignoring the fact that taking a benzo plus an antiseizure med puts a person at high risk of drowsy or erratic driving.
the best part is the ones least likely to understand that are the ones most likely to be screeching about "today's super potent pot" being the culprit in motor accidents.
anyone with an attention span longer than a flea should be able to look up how many "pot accident" drivers in the headlines had other substances in them. hint: almost all of them
Doesn’t mean driving high isn’t incredibly dangerous, statistically.
Obviously people should not drive when high or stoned off weed,
Is there any way to conclusively rule out the possibility that the person was not high or stoned during the accident?
It's not possible either way because there still isn't a method of accurately determining THC inebriation especially after the fact.
In that case, they would not be able to rule out the effect of pot oil on the incident. Right?
It can't be ruled out but it is possible to be realistic and reasonable here.
I am not sure if they will do that when 8 people are dead.
Yea the article title sounded pretty pointed.
This is no joke. Had an employee who was on Benadryl, got pulled over on the way to work and got a dui. We worked at a pharmacy and I automatically assumed he was lying until he brought the paperwork in. If it was an alcohol or illegal drug DUI he would have been fired but even our HR said “that’s fucked up”.
Headline still did its job ahead of the recreational legalization vote in November
Especially blatant since they called it "pot" oil and not cannabis, marijuana, or THC oil
100% this. He also said he didn’t remember the accident, and memory loss/blacking out is one of many problematic side effects of using too many benzodiazepines or using them for long enough.
It’s also a sign of head trauma which could have happened during the crash. Had a friend get in a single car accident in the rain when no other cars were around. To this day the last thing they remember before waking up in the hospital was looking at the weather radar on their phone and thinking they needed to leave a bit early to try and stay ahead of the storm.
Article title makes it seem like a marijuana hit piece. Dude was blitzed on benzos.
I mean it was journalists n the media that played a major hand in drug propaganda since the 60s. Even in 2024 they are still like that, using any incident like this, or shrooms pilot to paint narrative it was natural drugs to hide from fact it was legal substances that cause it.
Truly upside down world
That’s exactly what it’s supposed to sound like. It’s no accident it was written the way it was — legal pot is on the ballot in November. Gotta start early on the boogie man tactics.
Sort this post by controversial to see that it is working at least marginally.
Where does it say anything about benzos. I read anti seizure meds, high blood pressure, THC , and he was on his way to the methadone clinic.
“Howard told officers he’d smoked weed with a friend the night before the crash and took three of his own prescription medications: Klonopin, a benzo used to treat anxiety; Lyrica, which people take for nerve and muscle pain; and clonidine, a blood pressure medication.”
https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/driver-in-deadly-florida-bus-crash-denied-bond.amp
Oh okay it was a different article
Pleads not guilty confesses to being intoxicated I’m starting to think this guy ain’t so bright
All pleading not guilty means is that they want to exercise their right to a trial, not that they are saying they are innocent. Pleading guilty forfeits your rights.
Remember that the source of this information is the police, who are allowed to lie to any member of the public at any time for any reason. I'm not saying that they are lying, it just wouldn't shock me if they did.
It's insane to me that we let repeat offenders like this drive. Seems like a no brainer. It should be way easier to permanently revoke driving privileges and the consequences for driving without driving privileges should be over the top.
Revoking driving privileges doesn’t really do anything since there is next to no way to actually enforce it.
We could enforce it, we just treat driving while banned from driving very lightly.
My assistant manager at my old job had been driving hours every day with no license for 10 years, it's not that uncommon and the gaps in the nets are decades wide sometimes. (She got her license back, never caught.)
Aside from some kind of Stasi inside the U.S. situation, I don't see how we enforce it.
Even if we gave everyone we caught 10 years in prison, there would still be far more Janice's driving around than behind bars.
My assistant manager at my old job had been driving hours every day with no license for 10 years, it's not that uncommon and the gaps in the nets are decades wide sometimes. (She got her license back, never caught.)
I take it she never actually caused any serious traffic situations then? If someone is forced to drive so carefully that they never draw the attention of law enforcement, mission fucking accomplished.
Meanwhile our friend from this article:
Marion County court records show Howard has had at least three crashes and numerous traffic tickets dating back to 2006, including one citation for crossing the center line. His license has been suspended at least three times, the latest in 2021 for getting too many citations within a year. In 2013, he was convicted of grand theft. A year later, his probation was revoked after he tested positive for cocaine.
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All these people complaining about a “not guilty” plea and not understanding that all that means is that they are asking for it to go to trial.
It’s not the same as saying I’m innocent.
Pleading guilty just forfeits your rights.
In many cases, a judge will automatically enter a not guilty plea for a defendant so that they preserve their right to a trial and a defense.
Most actual times when a plea agreement comes into play is after a not guilty plea when the defense attorney and prosecuting attorney actually have time to look at the case and discuss it.
Weed will get blamed but I’m interested in the meds
Benzos, it's in the article.
Issue solved
Pot oil? Who writes this shit
Someone looking to ignore the other drugs most likely.
Hash oil? Extract? Hash? Oil? All fine. Dabs? Rippers? Cool.
Pot Oil sounds like a term Judge Judy would say
I expect a lot better from ABC.
“Pot oil” in the headline but no mention of the anti seizure meds, the previous cocaine convictions, no mention of a blood test.
Garbage fucking article.
Who in big tobacco paid for this?
It's likely they just repeated what police told them.
"Pot oil," the new buzzword coming to a fear mongering conservative new source near you.
Florida is never going to get legal weed. Those people hate freedom down there and this definitely isn’t gonna help the cause.
We get to vote on it in November.
But recreational with no home grow is just for companies and means nothing for the consumer except overpriced, low quality, recreational weed for large corporations to make money on.
I'll take it if it means people in my community don't have to get locked up anymore.
I love this argument. The reason home growing in illegal states is such high risk is due to the massive percentage of the police budget that is directed towards weed enforcement. When a state legalizes recreational weed, that police weed budget gets cut to next to nothing. Growing your own plants may still be illegal, but there will be next to no one focusing on enforcing it anymore. Any enforcement that remains will be focused on large scale growth operations, normally run by the cartels or organized crime.
Even if weed were legalized at the federal level, there are at least a small handful of states who I'd fully expect to pull a 10th Amendment "state's rights" counter to keep it illegal in their borders. Florida will probably be one of them.
It's called "hash oil" but we understand
The new conservative bogeyman!
In 3..2…1….
Dude's a waste of air.
He deserves everything that's coming to him
"pot oil"
been smoking flower and extracts for years and never heard those two words in that order ever before.
Never heard it called 'Pot Oil'. Is that supposed to make "dabs" sound more digestible?
I think more like a vape pen
We used to call it oil when we were teens, before the term dabs was popularized. Specifically the more liquid form.
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The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association has called the new federal seat belt requirement “impractical.” 🤬
"Pot oil" like come on bruh.
Oh he's outta there, reading about this loser in the article...he should have been locked up.
I think he confessed that because it would look more like a DUI sort of tragedy instead of a hate crime.
This is so fucking tragic. Does anyone have the go fund me for the victims?
I’m intrigued. How do you smoke pot oil?
Vaping pen?
I think he said that so they won't charge him for a hate crime.
Did DeSantis write this article?
Why can’t these articles ever just describe them as “people”?
Cue the fear mongering.
Ah, two things Repubs hate…weed and migrants. How conflicted they must feel.
I find it interesting that pot hasn’t really been implicated in anything major in FL UNTIL the residents put it on the ballot over the objection of the governor.
I’m sure it’s probably just coincidence.
Of course it’s Florida. Somehow the “Pot Oil”, whatever the hell that is, will get noticed as the problem here, especially when Florida is about to vote to expand marijuana. In reality, marijuana has been legal within the states for over 25 years now, and no one is focusing on the fact that he mixed it with “medication”. Statistically speaking, the Pot had nothing to do with this, it was more than likely the Medication and honestly, what the hell is Pot Oil? Who calls it that?
Who calls it pot anymore
Actually kind of bizarre that he was so forthcoming with the info. What kind of Boy Scout is this?
He stated he took the meds the night before, so he's probably thinking that means he was sober in the am. Of course that's not true, but he's probably not up to date on the lingering effects of combining high potency thc oil and benzos. Of course this assumes he's telling the truth about the timing of his usage and the drugs he took.
Just here for the “at least he wasn’t drunk” comments
Driver on Drugs Kills 8 People in Crash. TIFIFY
What does their ethnicity have to do with anything?
Prob shouldn't have said that.