Citation

Raes E, Verstraete AG. Ann. Pharm. Fr. 2006; 64(3): 197-203.

Vernacular Title

Cannabis et conduite automobile: la situation en Europe.

Affiliation

Departement de Biologie Clinique, de Microbiologie et d'Immunologie, Universite de Gand, Gand, Belgique.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16710118

Abstract

In Europe, three million people consume cannabis every day. Investigations showed that more than two thirds of drug users drive after having smoked cannabis. Epidemiological studies show that between 0.5% and 8.2% of the general driving population is positive for cannabis. For drivers wounded or deceased as a result of an accident, the percentage varies respectively from 3.3% to 10% and from 2.2% to 8.4%. Finally, very high percentages are found in the studies which analysed the presence of drugs in drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs: more than 50% in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Six European countries adopted an analytical or 'per se' legislation and the cut-offs vary between 0.3 and 2 ng/mL THC. In the Netherlands, experimental studies carried out after administration of cannabis clearly showed the impairing effects, in particular in the event of simultaneous consumption of cannabis and alcohol. Various research projects financed by the European Union studied the epidemiologic aspects (IMMORTAL), detection by psychotechnical tests (CERTIFIED) and roadside drug detection (ROSITA and ROSITA-2).

Keywords: Cannabis impaired driving

Language: fr