SPLIFF BEATS DRINK FOR DRIVERS

LONDON (Reuters) - Motorists who smoke a cannabis joint retain more control
behind the wheel than those who drink a glass of wine, British scientists
have found.

Research from Britain's Transport Research Laboratory showed drivers found
it harder to maintain constant speed and road position after drinking the
equivalent of a glass of wine than after smoking a spliff, the magazine New
Scientist said on Wednesday.

Researchers who used a driving simulator to conduct tests on 15 volunteers
found motorists on cannabis tended to drive cautiously, aware of their
intoxicated state. But drivers given a combination of cannabis and alcohol
performed worst of all.

British doctors last week called for the development of testing devices to
deter motorists from driving under the influence of drugs including
cannabis, citing a rise in the percentage of Britons killed on the road who
tested positive for the drug.

But medical experts recommended the British government reclassify cannabis
as a low-risk drug, sparking a debate over its decriminalisation.