Pubdate: Sun, 22 Sep 2002
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002, Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.fyiottawa.com/ottsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Stephen J. VandeKemp
Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor, headline by newshawk

CANNABIS AND DRIVING

The Senate committee's legalization of pot report is anything but 
premature! Jack Davies' claim ("Letters to the Editor," Sept. 15) that a 
new intoxicant called marijuana will wreck havoc on our highways is 
unfounded fear-mongering.

Cannabis should be classified, along with cough and cold medicine, sleep 
deprivation drugs, tranquilizers and anti-depressants as a highway threat. 
Label a package of joints just the same: "Driving heavy machinery could be 
dangerous while under the influence."

Use current and existing methods for effective detection of pot-smoking 
drivers. No need for a blood test: Let the constabulary use their strong 
sense of smell and a roadside sobriety test to detect driving stupidity. 
The fragrance of burnt cannabis in a vehicle and on one's clothes is akin 
to flatulence in a small confined area. Easy to detect and very hard to hide.

Stephen J. VandeKemp

(True, though you can consume cannabis by other methods than smoking)
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