DOPE DRIVERS SAFE: STUDY

A study funded by the British government has concluded that regular
marijuana users drive more safely under the influence of cannabis.

The study of 15 users, conducted by Britain's Transport Research
Laboratory, found that the mellowing effects of marijuana made drivers more
cautious and less likely to drive dangerously. While marijuana did effect
drivers, it was less dangerous than driving while fatigued or drunk.

Regular cannabis users were supplied with "Grade A" marijuana from the U.S.
for the study. They took four weeks of tests on driving simulators to gauge
their reaction time.

When the study was announced in January, some believed it would prove that
driving under the influence of drugs - dubbed "drug-driving" in Britain -
is just as dangerous as drunk driving.

Instead, the unexpected conclusion that mellow drivers are relatively safe
drivers has been embarassing to the government.

Still, the numbers show that high drivers are a hazard on the road.

In Britain, the number of people involved in fatal accidents found to have
drugs in their blood jumped from three per cent in 1989 to 18 per cent last
year.

- - Ottawa Citizen