Pubdate: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2003 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Olivia Cheng, Freelance ED PUTS WEED BEHIND THE WHEEL Dan Bui is messed up. He can only mumble incoherently, and every now and then someone has to rush for a trash can when it looks like he's about to hurl. Yet in spite of suffering the awful results of being a drug education guinea pig, the 23-year-old soldiers on with a test of his drugged-driving skills. With the buzz around proposed legislation to decriminalize marijuana, Ed figured it was a good time to probe the controversial issue of drugged driving. Some say it's not an issue at all, while law enforcement agencies and anti-drunk-driving groups fear legalization will spark an epidemic of drug-impaired drivers. Bui, a marketing student, is one of two volunteers enlisted to smoke up before being evaluated by researchers from Edmonton's DriveABLE assessment centre. The centre originally developed its computer-based driving program to analyse medically at-risk drivers, such as those affected by brain injuries, Alzheimer's disease, heart conditions or psychiatric disorders. But DriveABLE agreed to lend its services for our experiment, which is by no means a scientifically sound undertaking. First, a little background on our test subjects: Bui has a clean driving record and is practically a weed virgin. He only smoked the stuff once several years ago. On this particular day, before inhaling three-quarters of a joint, Bui says his friends who toke up and drive claim the drug "makes the experience better. They say, 'Driving is cool when you're high, it's an awesome feeling.' But it's not something that I'd try personally." Test subject No. 2 is 23-year-old Chris Martin, a drummer for the local band Jackdicky. Except for a couple of speeding tickets, Martin also has a clean driving record. When it comes to hitting the bong, he estimates he blazes two or three times a week. "I've driven high," Martin admits. "But it's been a couple of hours since I smoked it so I never smoke and then (drive right away)." He questions whether drugged driving is a serious problem. "I don't think you see many people getting into head-on collisions and stuff from smoking a joint. I don't think you get really careless, I think you get more attentive." In fact, after smoking an entire joint, Martin appears alert and comprehending during testing. For an hour, DriveABLE's Laura Morgensen runs him through a series of tasks ranging from tapping the computer screen when certain shapes appear, to making snap decisions about 10 video clips depicting unsafe driving situations. The company's general manager and research co-coordinator, Barb Carstensen, says the tests are "highly correlated with actual on-road performance." The exams assess crucial skills like visual awareness, attention and decision-making abilities. Carstensen stresses the trials are "very sensitive to changes in (a subject's) mental abilities." Not surprisingly, considering his state, Bui does terribly. In one exercise designed to simulate lane-changing, he crashes into car after car. When he slumps over in his seat for the third time, Morgensen is clearly unsure whether to continue, saying, "Oh dear. Dan, are you OK? Dan? Dan? Can you please touch the screen? Dan?" After Martin and Bui are finished, the computer calculates their results. Their performances are compared to validated, empirical evidence of how healthy, normal drivers their age would do. A sober 23-year-old with no medical issues should only score a one-per-cent probability of failing a real road test. Martin scores 28 per cent. Bui comes in at 58 per cent. A further breakdown shows Martin was in the normal range for motor speed and control, as well as complex judgment. However, he crashed in the categories of component driving abilities and attention shifting. Bui failed miserably in most categories but also scored in the normal range for motor speed and control. Dr. David Cook, a University of Alberta pharmacologist, says it's hard to say whether our experiment proves anything. While there's indisputable evidence of alcohol causing "driving behaviour that is both uncoordinated and risky," Cook says test subjects influenced by cannabis can "summon up the ability to perform reasonably well." Research also shows marijuana tends to produce a cautious response in people, skewing objective results and leaving no guarantee of how a pothead will perform on the road once the pressures of a testing situation are removed. However, police say there's no question about the dangers of drugged driving. As head of the Edmonton Police Service's Alcohol and Breath Testing Unit, Const. Conrad Moschansky says drugged driving is "a big problem" law enforcement is just beginning to tackle. Moschansky is one of only 30 officers in the country trained to perform drug recognition evaluations, or DRE, in roadside checkstop situations. Moschansky says nailing a drunk driver is easy enough with a breathalyser test. However, with no similar test for dope, figuring out if a driver is high on illegal or prescription drugs is much harder to prove. "We're waiting for legislation to change so we can use (drug recognition evaluations) more readily on the street," he says. Currently, unlike alcohol, there's no legal limit on drug use while driving since no one can agree upon a level that causes impairment. With marijuana, Moschansky says the stink is usually the big giveaway. Plus, the drug's effect on a user's eyes can't always be hidden with a few drops of Visine. "I don't care about redness," explains Moschansky. "I'm checking for dilation, contraction (of the pupils), and how the eyes react to different lighting situations." Moschansky says when he suspects a driver is high, he performs the steps on the DRE checklist to confirm his hunch. "I'm going to take the pulse of this person, I'm going to check their blood pressure. I'm going to check the rigidity of their muscles, and their body temperature as well." The veteran officer claims today's weed is 300 times stronger than pot grown 30 years ago -- he says he knows of crackheads who won't touch the stuff. Moschansky is frustrated by the public's generally laid-back attitude about drugged driving, "I don't think the message is out there strong enough that marijuana can impair you and makes you just as dangerous or more dangerous than drinking and driving." When asked what demographic of drivers are the worst offenders, Moschansky tells a surprising story about pulling over a 44-year-old who was smoking up with his two teenage boys. "So do we have to just teach the kids? No. We have to teach the old guys too." As for how our two test subjects rated their performances once the highs wore off, Chris Martin was pretty impressed with his results. "I think I did very well considering how high I was," he shrugs. "But driving under any influence, no matter what the substance, isn't a good idea." Bui agrees. Edmonton's new poster boy for the anti-drug movement sheepishly concedes, "I got my ass taken to school by weed. I don't even remember how I did in the test. It felt like I wasn't in control. If somebody who reacts the way I do (to weed) steps behind the wheel ... they're asking for it. They're dead." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman