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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Drivers on cannabis are put to the test Keith Harper, Transport Editor Guardian, The Thursday 27 Jan 2000 Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 Source: Guardian, The (UK) Copyright: Guardian Media Group 2000 Contact: letters@guardian.co.uk Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/ Author: Keith Harper, Transport Editor DRIVERS ON CANNABIS ARE PUT TO THE TEST Drugs problem on the roads prompts official trials Sixteen people have been chosen by the government to test drive cars legally after smoking cannabis as part of the first research into the impact of drug taking on motorists. Their names and backgrounds are to be kept secret by the transport research laboratory at Bracknell, Berkshire, which is carrying out the investigation on behalf of the deputy prime minister, John Prescott. The laboratory would not say how the 16 had been chosen, but they are being given cannabis, told to drive immediately afterwards, and then tested on their reactions. A source involved in the experiment said the guinea pigs had not been chosen at random. "We know that drug taking is an increasing problem on the roads, and we need evidence to show what impact it has on the motorist." The results are expected to be published later this year. The investigation follows surveys showing a large rise in the number of fatal accident victims who had driven with drugs in their system. The department of transport said the drugs in the tests were being supplied under licence to the participants. The issuing was not illegal because the 16 were taking part in a controlled scientific experiment. The RAC is calling for a warning system on over-the-counter medicines so consumers know which pose a driving hazard. A green rating would mean the drug was safe. An amber sign would advise that it could have a minor effect, while a red would signal severe adverse effects which would dangerously impair driving. An RAC survey showed that over a 12 month period 800,000 people had been in a car in which the driver was high on cannabis, 280,000 in which the driver was on amphetamines, and 140,000 in which the driver was on ecstasy, cocaine or heroin. Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, said: "The government has spent millions on effective campaigns addressing the problems of drink-driving, and now is the time to highlight the dangers of drugs and driving. It is alarming that drug-driving is overtaking drink-driving as the biggest danger on our roads." Rob Tunbridge, head of impairment studies at the transport research laboratory, said: "All of the tests that have been done in other countries suggest that cannabis has a completely different effect to alcohol. Rather than giving you dutch courage and confidence, it actually makes you much more cautious in your approach to driving. That doesn't necessarily mean, of course, that it will improve your driving."
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