PARANOID POT SMOKERS 'DRIVE MORE CAREFULLY'

Marijuana advocates say pot could cut down on the maddening number of
aggressive drivers on Alberta roads.

An April 2003 Canada Safety Council study suggests Alberta has the greatest
number of aggressive drivers in Canada, with 89% of surveyed drivers in Wild
Rose Country admitting to at least one aggressive driving act in the past
year.

"Pot people are more paranoid, so they drive more carefully," said B.C.
Marijuana Party president Marc Emery of Vancouver.

Emery said he's been smoking pot and driving for 25 years, and, if anything,
cannabis mellows out a driver.

"One of the real differences is that you're not goal oriented, you enjoy the
ride. You're not anxious, you're not aggressive."

The survey, conducted by Thompson Lightstone & Co., includes 1,001 Canadian
residents, 18 years old and older. The 89% Alberta figure compares to 88% in
Ontario and 77% in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

Dr. Alison Smiley, a University of Toronto professor who has studied how
marijuana affects drivers, said people who've been smoking pot drive more
like senior citizens.

"It's like an older person. They slow down on the freeway, take longer to
make driving decisions," she said. "Where they can compensate for the
effects they perceive, they do so by slowing down."

But Smiley stresses drivers high on pot alone are impaired. Unable to handle
as much information, they may miss a pedestrian suddenly stepping out onto
the road, she said.

But there's no evidence cannabis contributes to higher accident rates, said
Eugene Oscapella of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy. "It impairs
you, there's no doubt about it, but when you look at the studies themselves,
there's no increase in accidents and that's the bottom line," he said.

Ottawa introduced new legislation Tuesday decriminalizing possession of
small amounts of pot, sparking concerns over an increase in
marijuana-impaired driving.

Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said yesterday drug-impaired driving
laws will also need an overhaul in light of the new regime.

"We will come up with reform on that side as soon as we can," Cauchon told
the House of Commons. "We want to make sure that we will be able to develop
a test that will be accepted by the courts."