Dullstar t1_j20m1o1 wrote
Reply to comment by Roman_____Holiday in Noah Galle, Parents, Sued Again After Crash Leaves Six Dead in Delray Beach by Spawnacus
Many psychiatric prescription drugs don't come with restrictions on driving beyond the standard "hey wait until you know how this affects you" so you don't sue them if you have side effects that cause an accident. Which makes sense, because they're often prescribed to help improve functioning rather than impair it. The exact specifics of course would depend on which one and what it's supposed to treat, but the reason that, for example, alcohol + driving is a no-no is because it impairs cognitive functioning, which isn't going to be the case for e.g. many antidepressants.
I say this not to defend the driver because there's no excuse for that level of speed (I've seen disagreement as to if it's 120 or 151 mph but both are definitely well into reckless driving territory outside of a racetrack), but because many people take psychiatric medications and are totally safe to drive.
They're technically drugs but often when people are talking about drugs they mean recreational drugs and/or prescription drug abuse rather than taking medication as directed.
Roman_____Holiday t1_j20n6k9 wrote
The terms are vague and often used interchangeably by the layman. Recreational is taken for enjoyment. Medication is taken to treat a condition. Many people also self-medicate with so-called recreational drugs. The lines are blurry at best and this makes the entire debate discussion that much more difficult.
Dullstar t1_j20ptld wrote
I'd think self medicating is a bit more risky just because it's much less regulated and the user may not have a good understanding of the potential risks. Sometimes a drug someone's self-medicating with can feel good -- otherwise people wouldn't use them recreationally after all -- even if it's not really helping to properly manage the condition.
Roman_____Holiday t1_j20zx7x wrote
My point is more that ethically they are different situations and that our language on the subject makes the delineation more difficult than it should be. We sort according to the legality under the law by default. That system of sorting leaves a lot of important nuance on the cutting room floor.
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