Pot Smoking May More Than Double Crash Risk
Driving dangers rise as marijuana potency and frequency increase, study finds.
WEDNESDAY, October. 12 (Health Day News) — Motorists who get behind the wheel after
using marijuana run more than twice the risk of crashing
compared to others, a new research finds.
The risk rises even increase if the driver has also been in
the spirit of alcohol.
The journalists of a research published online October four
in Epidemiologic Reviews rely on the findings are especially related
in light of recent moves to legalize medical marijuana in many states.
"As many and more states consider medical use of
marijuana, there could be health
consequences," said research senior author Dr. Guohua Li.
Columbia
University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
And testing has revealed that twenty eight
percent of drivers who lost their lives from a crash and more than eleven
percent of drivers in general test positive for drugs other than alcohol.
Marijuana is the most usually detected drug in drivers after taking alcohol.
In their research, Li and his co-authors calculated
information from 9 previous studies in six countries looking at marijuana use
and motor vehicle accidents.
The studies views at different time frames, with some
assessing marijuana use as little as one hour before handing a wheel and others
looking at one year or more. According to one study mentioned, driving skills
are acutely affected for three to four hours after use.
All but one study found a greater risk of accidents in
drivers who use illegal drug, and that study was a small one, conducted in
Thailand, where marijuana use is relatively low.
Overall, the possibility of a crash was almost 2.7 times
higher among marijuana users than non-marijuana users, the authors found. And
the response was dose-specific, the authors said. That is the more marijuana
smoked — in terms of incidence and potency — the greater the likelihood of a
crash.
Marijuana may obstruct with reaction times and coordination,
in the middle of other things, study say. The authors of the new study said it
is critical to determine the excess crash risk related to marijuana in
different doses, strengths, and administration methods, such as smoking versus
vaporization.
None of the studies in this grouping looked directly at
medical marijuana, which is now legal in 16 states plus the District of
Columbia in the United States.
But other experts expressed some alarm at the findings.
"At [its] annual meeting in late September, the Governors Highway Safety
Association strengthened itsdrugged
driving policy," said Jonathan Adkins, a spokesperson for the
association.
"We can't really say yet that marijuana increases the
risk by two or three times," said Chuck Farmer, director of statistics at
the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Arlington, Va. "Most of
their studies pointed to a very strong bad effect of marijuana on driving, but
there are other studies out there that actually go the other way."
"We see this as a national priority and are seeking a
range of actions to address the problem comprehensively," Adkins said.
WEDNESDAY, October. 12 (Health Day News) — Motorists who get behind the wheel after
using marijuana run more than twice the risk of crashing
compared to others, a new research finds.
The risk rises even increase if the driver has also been in
the spirit of alcohol.
The journalists of a research published online October four
in Epidemiologic Reviews rely on the findings are especially related
in light of recent moves to legalize medical marijuana in many states.
"As many and more states consider medical use of
marijuana, there could be health
consequences," said research senior author Dr. Guohua Li.
Even as liquor use has reduced over the past four decades,
illicit use of non-alcoholic drugs, such as prescription medications and
marijuana, has improved, said Li, a professor of epidemiology at
Columbia
University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
A large United States survey in 2010 estimated that more
than ten million people aged twelve and over had driven
while under the influence of
illegal drugs in the previous year.
And testing has revealed that twenty eight
percent of drivers who lost their lives from a crash and more than eleven
percent of drivers in general test positive for drugs other than alcohol.
Marijuana is the most usually detected drug in drivers after taking alcohol.
In their research, Li and his co-authors calculated
information from 9 previous studies in six countries looking at marijuana use
and motor vehicle accidents.
The studies views at different time frames, with some
assessing marijuana use as little as one hour before handing a wheel and others
looking at one year or more. According to one study mentioned, driving skills
are acutely affected for three to four hours after use.
All but one study found a greater risk of accidents in
drivers who use illegal drug, and that study was a small one, conducted in
Thailand, where marijuana use is relatively low.
Overall, the possibility of a crash was almost 2.7 times
higher among marijuana users than non-marijuana users, the authors found. And
the response was dose-specific, the authors said. That is the more marijuana
smoked — in terms of incidence and potency — the greater the likelihood of a
crash.
Marijuana may obstruct with reaction times and coordination,
in the middle of other things, study say. The authors of the new study said it
is critical to determine the excess crash risk related to marijuana in
different doses, strengths, and administration methods, such as smoking versus
vaporization.
None of the studies in this grouping looked directly at
medical marijuana, which is now legal in 16 states plus the District of
Columbia in the United States.
However, one expert cautioned against inferring too much
from this study, which was not designed to capture cause and effect.
But other experts expressed some alarm at the findings.
"At [its] annual meeting in late September, the Governors Highway Safety
Association strengthened itsdrugged
driving policy," said Jonathan Adkins, a spokesperson for the
association.
"We can't really say yet that marijuana increases the
risk by two or three times," said Chuck Farmer, director of statistics at
the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Arlington, Va. "Most of
their studies pointed to a very strong bad effect of marijuana on driving, but
there are other studies out there that actually go the other way."
"We see this as a national priority and are seeking a
range of actions to address the problem comprehensively," Adkins said.
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