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Marijuana Not a Factor in Driving Accidents
University of Toronto ^ | March 29, 1999 | Professor Alison Smiley

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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: accidents; alcoholisworse; authorisoncrack; driving; drugs; drugskilledbelushi; heroinkilledbelushi; legalization; leroydiedofoverdose; libertarians; marijuana; mrleroybait; pot; thetruthcomesout; whosleroy; woddiecrushonleroy; wodlist
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To: hodaka

Mark was cool to drink with but with pot man he would get all zoned out, yea we got into lots of fights too. usually while we were drinking but not always, we were bad kids and just liked to fight :)


141 posted on 04/11/2006 12:00:11 PM PDT by Echo Talon
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To: hodaka

Oxycontin is widely abused. Though I don't believe as widely as marijuana. As far as Montel Williams and the rest of the medical marijuana community goes, I really don't give a rat's patootie why they use it.

Do you really believe that most "medical marijuana" users actually use it medicinally? Ha! That's funny.


142 posted on 04/11/2006 12:01:22 PM PDT by American_Centurion (No, I don't trust the government to automatically do the right thing.)
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To: davesdude
you got to be aware that pot is legal or decriminalized down there

Pot is still criminal, but limited to various degrees at the state level. Federal is still criminal, and Federal Time is still available.

143 posted on 04/11/2006 12:02:26 PM PDT by RightWhale (Off touch and out of base)
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To: ozzymandus
It got to where after even a couple of tokes all I could do was go home and hope the phone didn't ring until I came down. I realized pretty quickly that I wasn't having fun, and haven't smoked for about 20 years.

OMG! same here! I'd be like take me home.. by friends would be like "WTF is wrong with him?" LOL! then I'd lay in my bed and think i was forgetting how to breathe or think my heart was gonna stop beating.. sheesh that sucked. forget that

144 posted on 04/11/2006 12:03:05 PM PDT by Echo Talon
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To: Smokin' Joe

First, where is it saying 10 to 20mph less than the traffic??? What is expressed in her statement is more like slowind down from the usual driving speed average you are doing...please do not assume people are all driving within the legal speed...

"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."

you are right on that point! except where the user is the grower...but that's too rare...what would make more sense is if we had a way to "normalize" pot potency, then you get rid of that problem you expressed...so this brings us back to the good old legalization/regulation issue...

But i must correct, that with experienced user (aka mature user) potency is easily anticipated, and the effects go away after an hour or 2 (and that even for non experienced user)... As for alcool well it takes a bit longer...Don't get me wrong, impaired driving is impaired driving..You never know what can happen, but i just wonder with those studies why people will still defend with their heart and soul, alcool and bash all their heart and soul against pot, without real justification...


145 posted on 04/11/2006 12:03:08 PM PDT by davesdude
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To: xpertskir

Call people names if that will advance the argument, even if it makes no sense at all. Like a handful of Conservatives, I still think the law ought to be considered when making life's little choices.


146 posted on 04/11/2006 12:05:57 PM PDT by RightWhale (Off touch and out of base)
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To: Hemingway's Ghost

Really??? You must be getting some of the medicinal stuff or growing your own, because otherwise you have to trust a dealer to supply you.

Yeah, I'm a real advocate of trusting drug dealers.


147 posted on 04/11/2006 12:06:19 PM PDT by American_Centurion (No, I don't trust the government to automatically do the right thing.)
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To: TypeZoNegative

Is that a joke?? if yes i laugh! If not i laugh!


148 posted on 04/11/2006 12:09:46 PM PDT by davesdude
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To: American_Centurion
About two to three weeks ago in the USA Today newspaper they showed a graph of what type of drugs were the most abused and believe it or not prescription drugs were the most abused followed by alcohol. I know an argument can be made about the easy availability of both, but I guess it shows that all types of people can fall into addiction. I still find it funny that it seems that alot of people want to stereotype all pot smokers as old hippie Cheech and Chong wannabes.
149 posted on 04/11/2006 12:11:17 PM PDT by hodaka
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To: Echo Talon

I got in my fair share of fights also, but it always seemed that the testosterone would increase when drinking instead of smoking. Come to think about it I probably could have fought better being stoned instead of drunk.


150 posted on 04/11/2006 12:14:50 PM PDT by hodaka
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To: ozzymandus

so you stopped smoking because you didn't enjoy it no more, right?? That's what i like about pot when you have to quit you do it before it is too late!(if there is a too late, and only talking about the physical not legal problems)


151 posted on 04/11/2006 12:16:43 PM PDT by davesdude
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To: hodaka

I always fought best sober. :)


152 posted on 04/11/2006 12:17:58 PM PDT by Echo Talon
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To: American_Centurion

"Yeah, I'm a real advocate of trusting drug dealers."

yeah so why are you against legalization then?


153 posted on 04/11/2006 12:18:05 PM PDT by davesdude
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To: hodaka

I don't care to stereotype them at all. I just have to question the wisdom of someone who makes a willful choice to use an unnecessary and illegal substance knowing full well that the law is not on their side in most cases.

My judgement, NOT WISE AT ALL!


154 posted on 04/11/2006 12:19:31 PM PDT by American_Centurion (No, I don't trust the government to automatically do the right thing.)
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To: American_Centurion

gees! you are not too illuminated neither if you follow laws blindly without questionning their purpous and consequences...It is not for nothing soooo many people make that un-wise choice of taking drugs...

There is no reasonable reason for it to be illegal or criminalized like they are...


155 posted on 04/11/2006 12:27:33 PM PDT by davesdude
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To: American_Centurion

you even state it yourself, you don't trust the governemnt to automatically do the right thing ...


156 posted on 04/11/2006 12:30:13 PM PDT by davesdude
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To: davesdude
yeah so why are you against legalization then?

My answer to this question will change the course of this thread and I really really don't want to go there. Let's just put me squarely in the against column and assume that you ain't gonna change my mind. OK?

157 posted on 04/11/2006 12:31:41 PM PDT by American_Centurion (No, I don't trust the government to automatically do the right thing.)
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To: davesdude

It might not be reasonable, but the risk of losing your house or car to seizure, your job to a urine test, or your freedom just to get high is less reasonable.


158 posted on 04/11/2006 12:33:41 PM PDT by American_Centurion (No, I don't trust the government to automatically do the right thing.)
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To: American_Centurion

go check your mail!!


159 posted on 04/11/2006 12:33:55 PM PDT by davesdude
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To: American_Centurion
Really??? You must be getting some of the medicinal stuff or growing your own, because otherwise you have to trust a dealer to supply you. Yeah, I'm a real advocate of trusting drug dealers.

Marijuana is grown and traded by criminals because it was declared, by fiat, to be illegal. If it were not illegal, it could be grown and traded by legitimate people who have a vested interest in quality control.

Basic logic, my friend.


160 posted on 04/11/2006 12:36:32 PM PDT by Hemingway's Ghost (Spirit of '75)
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