Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Drivers under the influence of Cannabis, the plant used to produce marijuana, face increased risks of having a fatal car accident, a study finds.
The study of drivers responsible for a deadly road crash showed the odds almost doubled for people with cannabis in their blood, said lead researcher Bernard Laumon from the French National Institute for Transport and Safety Research. The study was published in the British Medical Journal.
The researcher studied 9,772 drivers who were involved in fatal crashes from October 2001 until September 2003 and tested for drugs. Of the total, 6,766 drivers were considered at fault. About 7 percent, or 681 drivers, tested positive for cannabis, 21 percent, or 2,096, had alcohol in their system and 2.9 percent, or 285, tested positive for both.
"These results give credence to a causal relationship between cannabis and crashes," Laumon said in the study. "Men were more often involved in crashes than women, and were also more often positive for both cannabis and alcohol, as were the youngest drivers, and users of mopeds and motorcycles." |