Pubdate: Mon, 15 Dec 2008 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Rene Bruemmer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving) Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/topic/driving (Driving) DRUGS THE NEW CHOICE FOR YOUNG IMPAIRED DRIVERS While the message that drinking and driving kills has registered after 25 years of awareness campaigns, the use of drugs behind the wheel is on the rise, according to a B.C. study. A survey of 1,500 drivers conducted by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse in June found that while 8.1 per cent of nighttime drivers tested positive for alcohol, 10.4 per cent showed evidence of drug use. The most common drugs were cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and cocaine and cannabis in combination. Age was not a factor, the study showed. Drivers 45 to 54 led drivers testing positive, in part because researchers were also testing for legal drugs that can impair driving. No 16-to-18-year-olds tested positive for alcohol, but a small portion tested positive for drugs. "The good news is that drinking and driving appeared to be on the decline," said Doug Beirness, senior policy analyst at the CCSA and lead researcher of the study. "But the messages about drugs and driving don't seem to be getting through." A 2004 study found that drugs were detected in as many as 30 per cent of fatally injured drivers, Beirness said. The latest results were not a surprise to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which expanded its mandate beyond alcohol years ago in keeping with the increased use of cannabis among youth. "The problem with youth is that they're under the false impression they're better drivers when they smoke," said Marie Claude Morin of the Montreal chapter. The B.C. survey was done over four consecutive nights. Drivers were pulled over by police, then asked by researchers to volunteer for anonymous testing with no risk of arrest. Researchers used breathalyzers for alcohol and saliva tests for drugs. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom