Pot Users Take Fewer Road Risks Than Drunks Study Says



Pubdate: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 



Source: Toronto Star (Canada) 



Author: Joseph Hall, Toronto Star Transportation Reporter 	



ubject: POT USERS TAKE FEWER ROAD RISKS THAN DRUNKS STUDY SAYS 	



Getting high on marijuana doesn't lower the ability to drive nearly as much as drinking alcohol, a 

new University of Toronto study suggests. 	



While marijuana, like alcohol, impairs performance, people who drive after smoking moderate 

amounts of pot compensate by driving more slowly and cautiously, says Alison Smiley of the 

mechanical and industrial engineering department.	



Smiley, who has studied transportation safety issues for 25 years, says ``the more cautious 

behaviour of subjects who received marijuana (in studies) decreased 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 does not advocate the general legalization of marijuana, says her study should be 

considered when contemplating mandatory drug testing for heavy equipment, train and truck 

operators or the decriminalization of marijuana for medical use. 	



Smiley, who compiled her paper by analyzing her own data plus several controlled international 

studies, found moderate pot users typically refrained from passing cars and drove at a more 

consistent speed than when not using pot.	



But Toronto Constable Barry White, who co-ordinates the city's RIDE program, says that 

marijuana at any level negatively impairs driving ability.