NUMBER OF DRUGGED DRIVERS DOUBLES

OTTAWA -- A study coming on the heels of federal efforts to discourage
drug-impaired drivers indicates driving under the influence of
marijuana and hashish has more than doubled since 1989.

The survey by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse says young males
are driving under the influence of cannabis as often as, or more
often, than they drive under the influence of alcohol.

The survey results come just a month after the federal Conservative
government tabled legislation to crack down on drug-impaired drivers
with heavier fines and jail terms.

While also making it harder to challenge breathalyzer tests in court,
the main focus of the plan first advanced by the former Liberal
government are those who get behind the wheel while high on marijuana,
cocaine, methamphetamine or a variety of other drugs.

Of 4,639 Canadians questioned for the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey
or CAS, 4.8 per cent reported driving in the previous year within two
hours of using cannabis, more than twice the proportion found by
comparable studies conducted in 1988 and 1989.

Researchers said it is not clear what impact the figures are having on
crash-related death and injury. "Controlled studies that have
attempted to determine the risk of crash involvement associated with
driving after cannabis use have shown mixed results," said Rita
Notarandrea, the centre's research and policy director.

"The CAS data provide us with a more accurate understanding of the
prevalence of driving after cannabis use in Canada, but points to a
gap in understanding how much of a factor this is in causing or
contributing to harms such as motor vehicle crashes."

Males were 3.6 times more likely than females to drive under the
influence of cannabis.

The report also cites other research suggesting young cannabis users
may not perceive their driving abilities to be adversely affected
after using cannabis, or at least less affected than after consuming
alcohol.

Many young people also believe that it is difficult for police to
detect and charge drivers for driving after cannabis use, it said.

"The data are telling us that youth, particularly young males, are a
high-risk group and that many of these young drivers may have a false
sense of security about driving under the influence of cannabis," said
Notarandrea.

However, a prevalence of those who reported driving under the
influence of cannabis also reported consuming higher-than-average
amounts of alcohol, said the report, Driving Under the Influence of
Cannabis.

"This is a significant point," it said, "since combining cannabis with
even small amounts of alcohol significantly increases the observed
level of impairment." Under the federal government's new bill, the
minimum fine for a first offence of either drug-or alcohol-impaired
driving would be $1,000 rather than the current $600. A second offence
would bring a mandatory 30 days in jail rather than 14, a third
offence 120 days rather than 90.