POT USERS TAKE FEWER ROAD RISKS THAN DRUNKS STUDY SAYS

Getting high on marijuana doesn't lower the ability to drive nearly as
much as drinking alcohol, a new University of Toronto study suggests.

While marijuana, like alcohol, impairs performance, people who drive
after smoking moderate amounts of pot compensate by driving more
slowly and cautiously, says Alison Smiley of the mechanical and
industrial engineering department.

Smiley, who has studied transportation safety issues for 25 years,
says ``the more cautious behaviour of subjects who received marijuana
(in studies) decreased the drug's impact on performance. Their
behaviour is more appropriate to their impairment, whereas subjects
who received alcohol tend to drive in a more risky manner.''

Smiley, who does not advocate the general legalization of marijuana,
says her study should be considered when contemplating mandatory drug
testing for heavy equipment, train and truck operators or the
decriminalization of marijuana for medical use.

Smiley, who compiled her paper by analyzing her own data plus several
controlled international studies, found moderate pot users typically
refrained from passing cars and drove at a more consistent speed than
when not using pot.

But Toronto Constable Barry White, who co-ordinates the city's RIDE
program, says that marijuana at any level negatively impairs driving
ability.