Posted on 04/11/2006 9:28:21 AM PDT by davesdude
Marijuana Not a Factor in Driving Accidents
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March 29, 1999
The safety hazards of smoking marijuana and driving are overrated, says U of T researcher Alison Smiley.
Recent research into impairment and traffic accident reports from several countries shows that marijuana taken alone in moderate amounts does not significantly increase a driver's risk of causing an accident -- unlike alcohol, says Smiley, an adjunct professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering . While smoking marijuana does impair driving ability, it does not share alcohol's effect on judgment. Drivers on marijuana remain aware of their impairment, prompting them to slow down and drive more cautiously to compensate, she says.
"Both substances impair performance," Smiley says. "However, the more cautious behaviour of subjects who received marijuana decreases 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 has studied transportation safety for over 25 years, drew her results from a "metanalysis" of existing research into the effects of marijuana on driving ability, combined with traffic accident statistics in the United States and Australia. Previous studies showing stronger effects often combined "fairly hefty doses" by researchers with driving immediately after consumption, likely exaggerating the drug's effects, she believes.
While Smiley does not advocate legalizing the drug, she says her results should be considered by those debating mandatory drug tests for users of transportation equipment such as truck or train drivers, or the decriminalization of marijuana for medical use. "There's an assumption that because marijuana is illegal, it must increase the risk of an accident. We should try to just stick to the facts."
Smiley presented her findings at a symposium of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Florida in February. Her paper was also published in Health Effects of Cannabis, a publication of Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, in March.
Yes. Why do you ask? Can you not believe that someone who has actually used this "harmless plant" would be opposed to it's legalization? Maybe my problem is that I didn't use it enough. Therefore I can't understand all of it's wonderful side effects such as getting arrested, losing your job, and ensuring that your children think it's ok to break the law if it's something you like.
Driving while clipping toenails is pretty bad too.
I saw a man brushing his teeth while driving once. Crazy.
I completely understand it's effects, but you make it sound as if a person who has never had a drop of alcohol will black out and wake up with a killer hangover after one sip.
The point of my post was for you to back up your assertion that "experience" makes one more able to deal with it's affects. As I pointed out, very few people have never had a drop, children over the age of 6 are often given some whenever they get a cough.
Oh, if only all the world's drinkers and drivers were as conscientious and civic-minded as you . . .
And regardless of what you personally think is childish, the fact is using any substance with the intent of altering your state of perception is in fact abuse. Dismiss it if you wish, but my facts are rock solid.
How in the world is using an intoxicating substance to get intoxicated abuse of that substance? Intoxicating substances are, by definition, supposed to make one intoxicated.
When did The Onion acquire the Univ. of Toronto Press?
Must have missed it.
I read a study that resulted in similar findings for cotton pickers. I don't have the study to quote, but essentially, it came out that those who were drunk did just a plain lousy job. Those on placebos were average, and those stoned on pot were slower than the other two groups, but did a very thorough job. Stoned cotton pickers would actually save growers money because their work didn't require going over an additional time.
"While smoking marijuana does impair driving ability, it does not share alcohol's effect on judgment."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
And for decades the weedheads have been saying pot smoking has NO effect on driving...amazing
{well, any thoughts on that?}
If I drive by a teenager going 10 mph under the speed limit, I'll know what he's been doing.
France French? What's the marijuana legality situation there? Aren't some of France's neighbors working on legalization?
"Therefore I can't understand all of it's wonderful side effects such as getting arrested, losing your job, and ensuring that your children think it's ok to break the law if it's something you like" haha you sound so much like a politician!
all you stated though are the criminals aspects of it being illegal!!! If it was legal you wouldn't get to jail, arrested, lose your job! Why would you kid know you are breaking the law?? And also with all that hip hop thing going around, don't you think some kid are already shown how to brake the law?? It's the duty of parent to make it understand clearly, without overdoing, that drugs should be left to adult! But we are getting away of the subject!
"Drivers on marijuana remain aware of their impairment, prompting them to slow down and drive more cautiously to compensate, she says."
Let's take a trip. Slooooooow.
what are you talking about>
No canadian french! In quebec the situaton is pretty free of the WOD! My cousin is a police man and when i was smoking pot, he would join me, on his off hour abviously!! Here we really believe pot is not the devil! we don't think it should be legalized but because the laws against it are not as draconian as the USA...so we are free of judgment!
hehe!
Can you guarantee that??? Because alcohol is legal and people who abuse it get arrested, go to jail, and lose their job.
"I saw a man brushing his teeth while driving once."
I am surprised nobody said : must have been a pothead!!!
There is an old axiom about slow drivers in emergency services. "Slow drivers do not have accidents, they cause them."
How is doing 10 or 20 mph slower than the bulk of traffic safer? Interruptions in the flow of traffic cause situations where accidents are more likely.
Pulling out slowly in front of that oncoming semi is only going to cost some truck driver his life or his living, and probably get the operator and occupants of the vehicle he hits killed as well.
I don't care what variety of impairment is involved, impaired drivers make the road more dangerous.
For alcohol, there is a legal limit to how much a person can legally consume. That limit can be avoided by the consumption of standardized measured doses of known potency.
Not so with marijuana, where there is variety in potency, dose consumed, effects on any given individual, etc. The results cannot be reliably 'normalized', nor can the dosage be anticipated during consumption as in the case of alcohol.
As for youth, there is a drinking age.
BTW, when it comes to the open road, we are not just trying to protect the young, but everyone on the road, from infant to elder,
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