Habitual cannabis users have 10-fold risk of being involved in car accidents
1 May 2005
Many people believe that cannabis use, like alcohol use, is a cause of traffic accidents. Scientific research has so far been unable to show a convincing connection. This may be because, whereas alcohol increases risk-taking as well as impairing driving ability, cannabis users may drive more carefully to make up for their intoxication. The Addiction study shows that heavy cannabis use is linked with increased risk of crashing, regardless of whether the use immediately preceded the accident.
Researchers from the School of Population Health, University of Auckland, New Zealand, surveyed 571 drivers of cars involved in crashes in which at least one occupant was hospitalised or killed, and a control group of 588 drivers randomly selected from cars driving on Auckland roads. Drivers were asked whether they had taken cannabis in the three hours prior to the crash/survey and were also quizzed about their use of cannabis over the previous 12 months. They found that the habitual cannabis users were 9.5 times more likely to be involved in crashes.
EDITORIAL OFFICE National Addiction Centre, PO48, 4 Windsor Walk, London SE5 8AF, UK
Telephone +44 20 (or 020) 7848 0853/0452 Telefax 7703 5787 Email g.rangel@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Published on behalf of the Society for the Study of Addiction by Blackwell Publishing
