MARIJUANA LESSER OF TWO EVILS?

April 15, 1999
From The Summit Daily News
amiller@summitdaily.com
http://www.summitdaily.com/
By Jane Reuter

SUMMIT COUNTY (Colorado) - In a perfect world, drivers would only share the road with sober people. But, given a choice between driving among those under the influence of alcohol or marijuana, which is the greater evil?

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, drunk drivers pose a far greater threat. The study shows marijuana’s adverse effect on drivers is "relatively small" compared to alcohol and even some medicinal drugs.

"Marijuana impairment represents a real, but secondary, safety risk," it reads. "THC is not a profoundly impairing drug. Of the many psychotropic drugs, licit and illicit, that are available and used by people who subsequently drive, marijuana may well be among the least harmful."

Moreover, the NHTSA analyzed the role that drugs played in the crashes, and found "no indication that marijuana by itself was a cause of fatal accidents.")
The study didn’t look into the adverse effects on drivers of marijuana and alcohol taken together.
(Marijuananews note: The fact is that marijuana use is highest among young males, who are also the most accident-prone drivers, despite having the greatest driving skills. This group also has very high levels of alcohol use, which further complicates any "real-world" evaluation of marijuana’s effects on driving.

There is the very real possibility that – taken alone without alcohol – marijuana might actually reduce accidents by young men who would otherwise be driving too fast. Excessive speed is the leading cause of accidents.)

High Country DUIDs

Summit County police officers say they make a fair number of driving under the influence of drug (DUID) arrests; most of those arrested are using marijuana.

"Some people say it makes me drive better because I’m not so hyper," said Sheriff Joe Morales."But it’s still an intoxicant, and it’s still illegal. It definitely doesn’t enhance your awareness."

If a driver is only using drugs and not alcohol, the presence of those substances don’t show up on the breath tests typically given to suspected drunk drivers.

"A lot of times, you’ll get somebody who looks intoxicated, but on a breath test, it shows all zeros," Morales said. "Then, we have to do a blood or urine test."

"It is difficult to detect," agreed an undercover agent for the Summit County Drug Task Force. "There are certain indicators to look for - the odor in their vehicle or on their person, bloodshot, dilated eyes.

"When driving, they may go too fast or too slow, they may be weaving, or there may be failure to dim bright lights or use turn signals," he added.

Sometimes, he said, an officer becomes suspicious simply because the driver appears unconcerned that he’s been pulled over.

(Marijuananews note: The appearance of innocence is therefore grounds for arrest?)

The agent said he’s never seen an accident he can attribute to marijuana use.

Silverthorne police Sgt. John Minor said his department has seen an increase in DUID arrests.

"That’s mainly because of heightened awareness and heightened levels of training within the officer ranks," he said.

This year, Silverthorne will send an officer to a drug recognition expert school for training specifically on such issues.

Of the DUID arrests made in Silverthorne, marijuana users are the most common violators, Minor said, though methamphetamine abusers are not uncommon.
(Marijuananews note: Inasmuch as marijuana is by far the most widely used illicit drug, it is natural that it would be the most commonly detected – or suspected, especially when it is the only one with a distinctive odor.)

"But we’re certainly seeing a lot more different kinds of drugs," he said.

"Heroin seems to be making a comeback.

(Marijuananews note: There are also many over-the-counter cold remedies that warn against driving, or "operating heavy machinery.")
See
Oregon Wants To Ban Driving While Using Over-The-Counter Drugs

Like the drug task force agent, Minor said marijuana’s presence is often hard to perceive.

"A lot of times, if they’re under the influence of alcohol and narcotics, they just get charged with DUI," he said. "Very rarely do we test for both. It’s hard to say, if they’re under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, what they’re most under the influence of."

Colorado State Patrol trooper Eric Westphal has arrested about 10 people for DUID during his 18 months patrolling the area. All of those people have been using marijuana.

"About a-third of the time, you can smell it," he said. "The rest of the time, it will show up in (poorly performed) roadsides, or we’ll find a joint or something in the vehicle."
(Marijuananews note: It would be interesting to know the breakdown of these numbers.)
See
Marijuana Prohibition In Canada May Have Just Lost By A Nose;
Ontario Appeals Court Rules Police Claims Of Smelling Marijuana Not Sufficient For Arrest.
– Major Development!

U.S. DOT study

"After alcohol, there was a tendency towards faster driving, and after THC, slower," the study shows. "Our city driving study showed that drivers who drank alcohol over-estimated their performance quality, whereas those who smoked marijuana under-estimated it. This evidence suggests that alcohol encourages risky driving, whereas THC encourages greater caution."

Monitors of the study drivers found that their subjects were well aware of THC’s affects, and concentrated on compensating for them. But that concentration sometimes came at the expense of other things.

"Less capacity would be left for simultaneously performing another task, such as conversing with passengers, using a car telephone, or handling emergency situations," according to the study.

Another problem the study found occurred when THC-influenced drivers faced routine driving.

"If the driving task is very monotonous and the demand is low, wandering attention may result in negligent monitoring with disastrous results," it read. "(This) strongly suggests that drivers under the influence of THC would be unusually susceptible to attentional deficits during prolonged and monotonous driving."