Cannabis use ‘doubles risk of car crash’

Published on Friday 10 February 2012 00:00

GETTING behind the wheel within three hours of smoking cannabis could almost double the risk of a serious crash, research suggests.

A review of nine studies found that drivers were more likely to be involved in a collision with another car after smoking the class B drug.

Figures show there are around a million users of cannabis in the UK aged 16 to 24.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal, found cannabis use resulted in a “near doubling of risk of a driver being involved in a collision resulting in serious injury or death”.

But the researchers, from Dalhousie University, in Canada, said the impact of cannabis consumption “on the risk of minor crashes remains unclear”.

The experts added: “The results also accord with recent data for collisions that points to the increasing presence of drugs other than alcohol found in injured and fatally injured drivers.”

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Derryboy

Friday, February 10, 2012 at 02:16 PM

Rather interesting, as this directly contradicts the findings of the previous studies reached 2 conclusions. i) Driving after smoking does not increase your chances of having an accident. ii) If you are involved in an accident after smoking, typically the consequences are less sever, as the drivers tended to be going 10 - 15% slower. It should also be noted that one of the studies which reached these conclusions was conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and suppressed by Clinton's government as it did not produce the results he wanted.

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Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head

Friday, February 10, 2012 at 01:17 PM

I have no idea what posters 1--3 are talking about, however, back on topic.... Let us not forget that the vst majority of crashes are cause by inattention and lack of skill. Sure enough, it's probably not a good idea to get stoned and then drive, in the same way that it's probably not a good idea to get p*ssed and drive. However let's not get things out of perspective.

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moosef

Friday, February 10, 2012 at 11:23 AM

#1 Good post. The powers that be cant. They'd rather feed gumf like this article to the loud and stupid who do the voting. Britain will never have the space to be tops but could be a world leader on hemp production and a renewables guru to the world. Statistics according to this article then means that about half of accidents are stoners. This article is capatalist rubbish.

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Hector the Lessor

Friday, February 10, 2012 at 08:15 AM

#1 antiparasite. One hundred percent right. How much better if everyone accepted that home was where the heart was, where the home was perechance the abode of your better half who would at times raise you to the heights of ectasy and next day give you a bad time. It is what most folk expect, and if perchance you have a wee still concealed in the corner of a cupboard it can only be there to smooth out the bad times.

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antiparasite

Friday, February 10, 2012 at 02:33 AM

Solution= don't drive and drift home laughing at the clones zooming past chasing that last second like the lost hairless neanderthals they try not to be.............. How many lives would be saved if cars were running on a clean fuel derived from hemp, what about the oil in the paint, the fabric on the seats, the plastics, all from hemp instead of toxic rubbish??

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