Studies and reports:
Although it is declining, North America is the leader in the Cocaine drug trade
Binge Drinking and Good
Memory are not Compatible
In the Last Decade,
Drug Abuse has Increased
in Canada
The Social Cost of
Substance Abuse in
Canada (A few figures)
| Drugs and Driving vs Drunk Driving | |
Drug driving has now become as much a problem as drunk driving Two new studies commissioned by CCSA (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse), reveal that drug driving has become a scourge, and is proven as lethal and hasardous as drug driving. These studies suggest that drugs contribute as much as alcohol to road collisions and untimely deaths. According to Doug Beirness, Senior Research and Policy at CCSA, "Contrary to popular belief, many drugs can impair physical and cognitive processes essential to driving a motor vehicle safely." Survey Results For the survey, 2840 drivers from five cities in British Columbia were stopped at random at night. The breath samples and saliva were provided voluntarily, and were used to detect the presence or absence of drugs and alcohol. Of the 2840 drivers, 86% were subjected to a breathalyzer test and 71% provided a saliva sample. The data indicates that 7.2% of drivers were under the influence of drugs and 9.9% had been drinking. The substances most often detected were cannabis and cocaine. More than 14,000 deaths of drivers have also been examined by researchers. Their observations show that 33% had taken drugs, compared with 37% who drank alcohol. The following are conclusions from the Canadian Centre Against Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: "The trend emerging from the findings of our studies indicate that drug driving is a problem separate and independent from that of alcohol driving and requires an approach to prevention, awareness and enforcement of its own to reduce the number of fatal accidents involving drivers who have taken drugs." source:
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