From: [n--kr--h] at [aol.com] (Neckroph)
Date: 30 Jun 1995 00:56:06 -0400
Subject: NHTSA Driving report

The National Highway Transportation Safty Administration has done a study
on Mj and driving.
 The report is listed as "DOT HS 808 078, Marijuana and actual driving
Performance."
It was finished in November of 1993 and concluds the following;

The adverse effects of mj on driving performance is "Relativly small" and
are less then those of drunken driving.
 
THC produces dosage related decrement in driving performance as measured
in road tracking (lateral positioning) but is "not profoundly imparing".

Higher dosages of THC (those prefered by users) never exceed alcohols
effects at 0.08 BAC ( the legal limit now in California) and are "in no
way unusual compared to many medicinal drugs".

Unlike alcohol, which encourgaes risky driving, MJ appers to produce
greater caution, apperentaly because users are more aware of their state
of mind and are able to compensate for it.  It was noted it could be
dangerous in emergancy situations that pput a high demand on driving
abilites or when combined with other drugs especially alcohol.

It also says that performance is more affected in the lab then in actual
driving. 

In a report released in Feb 94, NHTSA the most comprehensieve study to
date which found that alcohol was "by far the dominant problem" in drug
related accidents.  It also stated that "there was no indication that Mj
by itself was a cause of fatal accidents".


 

The study was done under actual highway and urban driving conditions.