DRIVING HIGH

Letter Of The Day

RE "LETTER of the Day," by Jean-Pierre Allard (Dec. 22): Allard was
concerned about the effect of marijuana on driving. In the most
comprehensive study ever done, involving 2,500 drivers, the University of
Adelaide's (Australia) pharmacology department and Transport SA, found that
cannabis was the only drug tested that decreased the relative risk of
having an accident.

If that that is not enough, Allard should look to the recent studies which
have embarrassed the British government. The British Transport Research
Laboratory in recent tests began with preconceptions built primarily around
the legal status of this plant, reasoning that if it is illegal it must be
as intoxicating as alcohol.

What they found instead was that amongst regular smokers the mellowing
effects of cannabis made drivers more cautious and so less likely to drive
dangerously, and that they are less likely to cause road accidents than
drunk drivers or even drug-free drivers

The fact is that, notwithstanding marijuana's legal status, these studies
have found that being under the influence of marijuana while driving is
less dangerous than driving while fatigued. Jean-Pierre Allard should rest
assured that studies have already been done in this regard, and it is not a
big issue as marijuana is not a central nervous system depressant like alcohol.

Chuck Beyer

(We'd still prefer it if people didn't get behind the wheel after inhaling)