DOCTOR BACKS CALL FOR DRUG-DRIVE RESEARCH

A DOCTORS' leader is urging people who take drugs - both legal and illegal -
to heed a warning that their use can affect a motorist's ability to drive
safely.

Dr Kailash Chand, secretary of West Pennine Local Medical Committee, today
echoed the British Medical Association's (BMA) warning that drugs can affect
people in the same way as alcohol.

And he highlighted the fact that it can be just as dangerous for people
taking prescribed drugs to drive as it is for those who have taken illegal
drugs.

Dr Chand is backing a call for the Government to co-ordinate scientific
research to establish effective drug testing devices as soon as possible.

In the 1980s and 1990s the number of people involved in fatal road accidents
who tested positive for cannabis increased four-fold - from 3 to 12 per cent
- - and the BMA fears that figure will rise.

Doctors say cannabis is the most frequently detected illicit drug in
accident fatalities. It is known to impair co-ordination, visual perception,
tracking and vigilance.

But the fact that cannabis can be found in the blood as long as 28 days
after use means it is difficult to say whether or not a driver's ability was
adversely affected by it

Dr Chand said: "Driving while unfit under the influence of drugs is an
offence, and a driver faces the same penalties as those who drive under the
influence of alcohol.

"However, the law does not state any legal limit for drugs as it does for
alcohol. Given there are currently no testing devices that can effectively
prove driving impairment due to drugs, it is very difficult to enforce
legislation.

"Whatever action the Government takes on drug-driving, it is essential that
it is accompanied by a public-awareness campaign.

"People generally accept that you shouldn't drink and drive, but probably
have no idea about the effects of drugs on their driving ability."

He added: "We are not just talking about illegal drugs but prescribed ones,
too.

" Millions of people regularly take drugs like anti-depressants,
painkillers, anti-histamines and cough mixtures, all of which can have a
sedative effect. Yet most of these people probably think it is totally safe
for them to drive."