A guy I used to date was rear-ended while waiting at a red light by someone who was texting while driving. It was an extremely serious wreck (the person who hit him did not brake at all, ge was so absorbed in his phone), and my ex was lucky to survive it.
But people texting on their phones in public places doesn't bother him. He is not in favor of making SMS illegal. That would be utterly absurd.
They're not interested in responsible driving, they're just looking for any excuse for their sadism.
Note that the discussion isn't even about dangerous driving, that's a complete tangent.
It's about whether drug use _per se_ is criminalized. Not even legal, just whether the remedy for drug use should be help or punishment. Portugal never decriminalize or legalised vehicular homicide.
But texting in public is legal, and having a beer in public is legal. Just because something is dangerous while driving doesn't mean it's harmful under all other circumstances.
The offence in that case isn't the drink, it's the driving. Maybe we should ban driving.
Maybe, but they aren't the folks we should be listening to. I don't drive: I'm pretty sure I'll be OK drinking a beer in public. My decision shouldn't be influenced by those folks.
I don't see many of those people pushing a robust, fare-free public transportation system to help with those either.
I suspect you think the cause is the alcohol: But realistically, it is that people don't always plan ahead. As far as drunk driving is concerned, robust transport would be a step in the right direction. Especially in the countryside and small towns - in the US, these are filled with bars but no transport.
The link with homocides isn't nearly as clear. More people drink alcohol than other drugs and from what I could find, it might be a part of a series of events than anything else, at least in the US. If it doesn't hold to other places, then I'll dismiss it. Prohibiting alcohol in public simply isn't going to help, and we've seen what complete prohibition does. Do you have an actual solution that doesn't drive it underground? I'd personally start with improving people's lives in general so that there is less stress all around - at least that stuff we can do something about.
Odds are there are no studies to reference because the entire idea is idiotic on its face and no one would ever both studying it.
Read up about the dangers of second and third degree smoking.
> The same way someone drinking a beer in public doesn't bother me. How could it?
Perhaps those who've had family or friends killed by drunk driving or drunken homicide might have something else to say.