DRIVING ON DOPE: CALL FOR STUDY

ADELAIDE: Transport ministers will be asked to support research at a
national level into the effects of marijuana use on driving ability.

South Australlan Transport Minister Diana Laidlaw said yesterday she would
ask her interstate colleagues at their next meeting in December to
commission further research into drugs and driving after a series of
reports on the issue.

An SA report released earlier this month found 10.8 per cent of drivers
injured in a road accident tested positive for marijuana, compared with
12.4 per cent who tested positive for alcohol.

The study confirmed that alcohol was a major contributor to crashes, with
nearly 90 per cent of drivers with a for study blood alcohol of .05 or more
deemed culpable for the accident. But the evidence was less conclusive in
relation to marijuana, with only 50.8 per cent of the drivers with cannabis
in their blood stream to blame for their crashes.

Checked-by: Richard Lake