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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Cannabis 'makes drivers more careful'
Ananova Wednesday 13 Dec 2000 Scientists have found motorists who drive after smoking cannabis slow down and have the same reaction times to hazards as those who are free from the effects of the drug. But researchers at the Transport Research Laboratory in Crowthorne, Berkshire, have concluded that high doses of cannabis have a bad effect on driving - but not as bad as alcohol or tiredness. The researchers found that volunteers drove more slowly and cautiously to compensate for their intoxication after taking cannabis. The team recruited 15 volunteers to undergo driving tests while under the influence of high or low doses of cannabis, or having not taken the drug at all. The participants either smoked ready-rolled "spliffs" or rolled their own with resin supplied under a Government licence, New Scientist magazine reported. They were then put through their paces on a hi-tech driving simulator. But they found it very difficult to follow a figure-of-eight loop of road when given a high dose. Steering ability was the only skill adversely affected. Reaction times to motorway hazards and performance on cognitive tests remained unchanged. Previous trials at the laboratory have shown that alcohol and tiredness have a worse effect on driving, affecting higher thinking processes. The Legalise Cannabis Alliance, said: "Any person who is not in full control of their body should not drive, be it through tiredness, alcohol, cannabis or drugs... but everything must be seen in proportion. We need to legalise and regulate cannabis in a similar way to alcohol to be able to see the size of the problem."
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