Pubdate: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 Source: Advertiser, The (Australia) Copyright: 2001 News Limited Contact: http://www.advertiser.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1 Author: Jack McLean Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1989/a01.html DANGEROUS ALCOHOL THE article ``Cannabis `not risky' '' (The Advertiser, 31/10/01) does not accurately reflect my views on cannabis and the risk of being responsible for a road accident. There is no doubt that marijuana adversely affects driver performance but it has yet to be shown statistically that it increases the risk of causing a crash. There is some evidence that this may be because of an effect of marijuana on driver behaviour. Whatever the reason for the lack of a demonstrated statistical association, marijuana may increase the risk of causing a crash for some drivers in some circumstances, particularly at very high doses of the drug. While we should be concerned about the effect of any drug on road safety, the most dangerous drug, by far, is alcohol. (Professor) JACK McLEAN Director, Road Accident Research Unit, Adelaide University - --- MAP posted-by: Rebel