Lit_Match

NORML's Weekly News Bulletin
05-15-08|NORML

Jerusalem, Israel: Low doses of cannabis and alcohol have contrasting effects on psychomotor performance, according to clinical trial data published in the current issue of the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.

Investigators at Hebrew University and the University of the Negev in Israel assessed the impact of alcohol and THC on simulated driving performance in fourteen subjects.

Researchers reported that volunteers’ subjective and actual performance differed under the influence of THC compared to alcohol.

"Average speed was the most sensitive driving performance variable affected by both THC and alcohol but with an opposite effect," authors wrote. "Smoking THC cigarettes caused drivers to drive slower in a dose-dependent manner, while alcohol caused drivers to drive significantly faster than in ‘control’ conditions."

Both alcohol and low doses of cannabis impaired drivers’ ability to maintain lane position and significantly increased subjects’ reaction time. Neither low doses of alcohol nor THC significantly increased subjects’ total number of collisions.

In terms of overall driving performance, subjects administered cannabis performed in a manner similar to drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05, authors determined.

"The present study reveals that although some similarities in the degree of impairment could be observed – mainly with the lower level of THC and alcohol, where both increased reaction time and [lane position variability] – some discrepancies also appeared between the two drugs," authors concluded. "In particular, subjects seemed to be aware of their impairment after THC intake and tried to compensate by driving slower; alcohol seemed to make them overly confident and caused them to drive faster than in control sessions."

Two recent examinations of fatal accident crash data indicate that alcohol, even at low doses, greatly increases drivers’ crash risk compared to cannabis. A 2007 case-control study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health reported that US drivers with blood alcohol levels of 0.05 percent were three times as likely to have engaged in unsafe driving activities prior to a fatal crash as compared to individuals who tested positive for marijuana. Similarly, a 2005 review of French auto accident data reported that drivers who tested positive for any amount of alcohol had a four times greater risk of having a fatal accident than did drivers who tested positive for marijuana in their blood.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org

Full text of the study, "Effects of THC on driving performance, physiological state, and subjective feelings relative to alcohol," appears in Accident Analysis and Prevention. Additional information regarding marijuana use and on-road accident risk is available in the NORML report "Cannabis and Driving: A Scientific and Rational Review," available online at: Cannabis and Driving: A Scientific and Rational Review - NORML


Survey: One In Seven Public School Districts Drug Test Students
05-15-08|NORML

Chapel Hill, NC: One in seven public school districts now randomly drug tests their student body, according to survey data published this month in the American Journal of Public Health.

The percentage is approximately 50 percent higher the total number of schools that reported performing suspicionless drug testing five years ago.

Among the schools that employ random drug testing, 93 percent test student athletes, while 65 percent test students who engage in extracurricular activities – a practice that was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2002 in a 5-4 decision.

Twenty-nine percent of school districts that perform drug testing impose it the entire student body, a practice that extends "beyond current Supreme Court sanctions."

Last year the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on School Health resolved, "There is little evidence of the effectiveness of school-based drug testing," and warned that students subjected to random testing programs may experience "an increase in known risk factors for drug use." The Academy also warned that school-based drug testing programs could decrease student involvement in extracurricular activities and undermine trust between pupils and educators.

A 2003 cross-sectional study of national student drug testing programs previously reported, "Drug testing, as practiced in recent years in American secondary schools, does not prevent or inhibit student drug use."

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org

Full text of the study, "Random drug testing in US public school districts," appears in the American Journal of Public Health.


Hawaii: Legislature Approves Medical Marijuana Task Force Measure
05-15-08|NORML

The Hawaii legislature approved legislation last week to establish the formation of an eleven-member task force to investigate options for providing legal cannabis for Hawaii’s state-qualified medical cannabis patients. The bill now awaits action from Gov. Linda Lingle (R).

An estimated 3,000 Hawaiians are registered to use medical cannabis under state law.

As approved by the legislature, House Bill 2675 calls on the task force to make recommendations regarding "the feasibility of developing safe growing facilities … for qualified patients with written certification to grow medical marijuana for their medical use." The task force is also mandated to review statewide guidelines authorizing the amount of medical cannabis patients may legally use and possess under state law.

The task force must submit its recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2009 regular session.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org or visit: MCCFDIA - Maui County Voter Registration and Initiative Drives

Full text of the bill is available online at: HB2675 HD2

__________________
Donation links to NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) | MPP (Marijuana Policy Project)