DRIVING STONED MORE FREQUENT, STUDY FINDS

OTTAWA -- Canadians who say they have driven after smoking drugs has
more than doubled since the late 1980s, according to a study, which
reports young men drive while high just as often, or even more, than
they drink and drive.

Almost five per cent of the 4,639 drivers surveyed said they had
driven within two hours of using marijuana or hashish in the previous
year an average of 24 times, said the Canadian Centre of Substance
Abuse.

"The evidence we have is that the behaviour is increasing," said Doug
Beirness, senior research associate for the federally sponsored
agency. "Another factor that makes us believe it's an issue of concern
is that it seems to be most concentrated among young people."

Research remains inconclusive, however, on whether the hike in
drug-impaired driving has contributed to car crashes, said the study.

"The extent to which cannabis use by drivers contributes to serious
road crashes is difficult to determine, largely because of the poor
rates of testing for drugs other than alcohol," the report said.
"Nevertheless, it can be expected that as the prevalence of driving
under the influence of cannabis increases, the number of resulting
collisions will inevitably increase as well."

The survey was released a month after a federal bill was tabled to
catch drivers who smoke drugs before climbing behind the wheel. The
average age of those who drive under the influence of cannabis was
28.7 years, compared to 39.8 years for drinking and driving.

Results are considered accurate within 2.5 percentage points 19 times
in 20.