Pubdate: Tue, 24 Jun 2014
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2014 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Alicia Caldwell
Page: 15A
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving)

ACCURATELY MEASURING THE EFFECT OF POT, BOOZE ON DRIVERS

The way Christian Sederberg sees it, the combination of weed and 
booze is a "magical cocktail." And not in a good way. Sederberg, one 
of Colorado's leading pot lawyers, made that comment at a Denver Post 
editorial board forum earlier this month on legal marijuana.

He was talking about how laws governing driving while under the 
influence of marijuana don't fit the nature of impairment.

And whether or not you agree with his contention that some heavy 
users of marijuana are unfairly penalized by current laws-because 
they can handle high THC levels without being impaired-his concerns 
highlight a broader point.

We just don't know enough about how marijuana, especially in 
combination with alcohol, affects driving ability. The research 
that's out there says the combination is pretty dangerous.

A 2009 study published on the National Institutes of Health website 
said some marijuana smokers can adequately compensate for impairment- 
unless they drink alcohol.

The study, by three researchers affiliated with Yale University 
School of Medicine and the Department of Veterans Affairs, said doses 
of alcohol and marijuana that are "insignificant" alone could result 
in impairment when combined.

That's the "magical cocktail," and the implications for public safety 
are worrisome.

First of all, people who partake of those substances need to know and 
understand the combination could affect them in ways they might not anticipate.

They need to hear accurate and appropriate public health messages 
that are based on good science done by impartial researchers.

And that's where the problems begin. Valid, peer-reviewed psychomotor 
research on pot impairment is hard to come by.

People who use marijuana need to know how many tokes combined with 
how many beers make them unfit to drive. Can it be quantified in that 
way? If not, then how?

This is information, coupled with appropriate laws, that could make 
Colorado safer. Given marijuana's status as a growth industry, you 
might think Colorado academics would be on that job.

David Goff, dean of the University of Colorado School of Public 
Health, who also appeared at The Post's forum, said it's difficult to 
do that research.

That's because there are a lot of hoops to jump through if, for 
instance, you work at a university that gets federal funding.

Earlier this year, CU put out a five-page memo saying it had received 
inquiries from faculty asking about conducting marijuana research. 
The memo explained the approvals necessary and the requirement that 
weed used in any such research come from the National Institute on 
Drug Abuse's approved source.

It's a nightmare of a process, and when researchers finally get 
government pot to use, keep in mind that it's probably significantly 
different stuff than what Colorado marijuana entrepreneurs are 
growing and selling.

The red tape stems from the federal government's classification of 
marijuana as a Schedule I drug, the most dangerous.

Last week, news broke that the Food and Drug Administration is 
analyzing whether marijuana's classification should be downgraded, 
which would mean an easing of research restrictions.

Before anyone gets too excited about that, keep in mind the FDA 
looked at the same issue in 2001 and 2006 and recommended against 
reclassification.

Perhaps it will work out differently this time and we should all hope 
so. Whether or not you voted to legalize recreational marijuana use 
in Colorado, there's no denying it's here-probably to stay.

Developing fair and appropriate public policy to keep everyone safe 
is a priority we should all support.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom