MojoWire
http://www.mojones.com/mustreads/082300.html
Stoners are better drivers
Aug. 23, 2000
In an attempt to show the dangers of using drugs while driving,
the
British government ended up proving what every pothead already
knew,
the LONDON TIMES reports: Stoners are better drivers.
Facing pressure from motorist organizations and anti-drug campaigners,
the government commissioned a four-week study of doped-up drivers
to
gauge their reaction times and awareness. Instead of concluding
-- as
the government clearly hoped they would -- that drug use increased
the
risk of accidents, researchers instead found the mellowing effects
of
cannabis made drivers more cautious, and hence, safer.
The study is, to say the least, a setback for the government's
"don't
drive on drugs" campaign, which already includes several
TV and radio
spots.
"If you were to ask me to rank them in order of priority,
fatigue is
the worst killer, followed by alcohol, and drugs follow way behind
in
third," said the author of the report.
-- JG
Read the LONDON TIMES article here.
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/08/13/stinwenws03043.html