A very tragic thing happened in NASCAR recently when driver Kevin Ward Jr. was killed after he was hit by a car driven by another driver, Tony Stewart. The facts are that Kevin Ward Jr. got out of his car in the middle of a race to confront Tony Stewart, and Tony Stewart’s car struck Kevin Ward Jr., killing him in the process. After an investigation was conducted, a grand jury decided to not press charges against Tony Stewart. Mainstream media, and the district attorney overseeing the investigation, used the tragedy as an opportunity to blame marijuana. Per USA Today:
Toxicology reports revealed Kevin Ward Jr., was under the influence of marijuana on the night he was struck and killed by a sprint car driven by Tony Stewart, Ontario County (N.Y.) District Attorney Michael Tantillo said Wednesday.
At a news conference to announce that a grand jury had declined to indict Stewart in Ward’s death, Tantillo said the level of marijuana in Ward’s system was high enough to impair judgment.
The exact level of marijuana in Ward’s system is not known, and never may be known. But regardless, I think it’s safe to say that marijuana was not to blame for this tragedy. I have consumed A LOT of marijuana in my time on this earth, and have been VERY high many, many times. However, not once have I jumped out in front of a car moving over 100 MPH in an aggressive fashion. According to reports, Tony Stewart revved his engine while other cars were breaking. But is he to blame? Of course not, because Mr. Ward had marijuana in his system, and despite no proof of when that marijuana entered his system, marijuana is to blame. What a sad, sad scenario on so many levels. My heart goes out to Kevin Ward Jr.’s family, who has to deal with the fact that their family member’s death is being ruled as being his own fault for consuming marijuana.
