Cannabis, alcohol 'equally dangerous'
Austrailian Associated Press
The Age
October 13, 2006
While cannabis manifests differently to alcohol, it can be equally as dangerous when used before driving, the author of a new study says.
The three-year study conducted by Swinburne University of Technology with Victoria Police tested 80 Victorians aged between 21 and 35 who were either regular or irregular users of cannabis.
Study leader Dr Katherine Papafotiou, from the university's Brain Sciences Institute, said the study found participants who smoked cannabis were more likely to lane-weave and stop too close to vehicles in front of them.
She said while people tended to be aware of the effects of alcohol on driving, there was not the same understanding of the effects of cannabis smoking on driving.
"The general public need to appreciate that these drugs are different to alcohol and don't impair you like alcohol but can still effect you on the road," Dr Papafotiou said.
"We need to continue to treat each drug as a different substance. We need to look at them separately, at how they affect behaviours."
The study also found that driver errors occurred more frequently when the driver was under the influence of cannabis and alcohol.
Dr Papafotiou said the Institute had just received an Australian Research Council grant to look at the effects of methamphetamine and ecstasy use on driving.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Cannabis-alcohol-equally-dangerous/2006/10/13/1160246310134.html
ABOUT US
