Hardly....

Friends of mine lost their son last summer to a kid high on weed....
Nice boy. Attended WVU. Wrong place at the wrong time. Sad.


Teen tells of pot's role in crash that killed biker
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, 609-463-6716

Published: Saturday, April 04, 2009

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — Kyle Zalot said he warned Nicholas Golden, but it was too late.
“I said, ‘Look out, there’s a motorcycle,’” Zalot said as he recalled July 21, 2008, the day the car the two Philadelphia men were traveling in crashed into a motorcycle driven by 20-year-old Middle Township resident Craig Lozier.

Golden was driving at an estimated 65 miles per hour at the time, trying to pass two other cars as they traveled down Route 47 toward the shore.

Golden managed to pass the first car, but his attempt to pass the second ended in tragedy.

Zalot, 19, said the car swerved as Golden, 18, lost control, crossing into Lozier’s lane. The car and motorcycle collided, and Lozier, a college student and 2006 graduate of Middle Township High School, was pronounced dead at the scene.



Zalot told his story as part of his agreement to plead guilty to the disorderly persons offense of using or possessing less than 50 grams of marijuana. In exchange for his promise to testify truthfully at Golden’s trial, Zalot received a conditional discharge, meaning he would be monitored for one year and required to report for quarterly drug screenings.
Pictures of Lozier sat on the prosecutor’s table in the court room as Zalot told Superior Court Judge Susan Maven about the hours before the collision.

The crash, Zalot said, happened about three hours after the two men started smoking marijuana.

Zalot said Golden picked him up at about 10:30 a.m. at his house in Fox Chase in northeast Philadelphia. The night before they had attended a graduation party at Golden’s house. “We were going to drive down the shore to our shore house,” Zalot said.

But first they made a stop.

“He wanted to go pick up weed in Olney,” Zalot said.

The pair traveled to an area of row homes, and Golden got out of the car. When he returned, he placed something in the trunk and handed about a half-gram of marijuana to Zalot.

Zalot said he then hollowed out a cigar that was already in the car to make a blunt, or marijuana cigarette, for them to smoke.

“That was smoked and shared between the two of you,” Chief Assistant Prosecutor Rob Johnson asked. “Yes, sir,” Zalot said.

Zalot said he and Golden shared the marijuana, smoking as Golden drove in the city and on the highway leading out of Pennsylvania. Zalot said he was not sure when they stopped smoking, but by the time they reached New Jersey, they were both under the drug’s influence.

“Was he affected by it as well?” defense attorney Joseph Rodgers asked Zalot. “Yes, sir,” he replied.

Zalot said he could tell his friend was under the marijuana’s influence. He had glassy eyes, and his speech was slowed, he said.

They traveled along Route 42, to Route 55 and then to Route 47, the road Lozier was traveling.

After listening to Zalot, Maven accepted Zalot’s guilty plea and gave Lozier’s parents a chance to speak.

Lozier’s father, Scott, said his son’s death had changed countless lives, noting that more than 1,000 people attended the young man’s funeral.

He asked Zalot to look at his son’s pictures.

“That was a human being, and a very good human being,” he said.

Maureen Lozier told Zalot to make something good out of his life and to tell his story to insure that others do not suffer her son’s fate.

“You be an advocate for not driving under the influence of anything,” she said.

Zalot, a student at Temple University, apologized.

“I’m deeply sorry about what happened,” he said.

Maven warned once again against the dangers of driving under the influence of any drug.

“Marijuana has become the new cigarette,” she said, adding there is nothing legal about smoking marijuana. “It’s not okay.”

She continued, “Marijuana does exactly what we know it does. It dulls your senses.”

Like Maureen Lozier, the judge then told Zalot to live a meaningful live.

Maven then placed Zalot on the conditional discharge. He must testify in future proceedings, take quarterly drug tests and attend at least two Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per month.

Golden was indicted on a first-degree aggravated manslaughter charge for Lozier’s death. He also faces numerous drug charges.

If convicted, Golden faces between 10 and 30 years in prison for the manslaughter charge.