Linkoping, Sweden: A six-year-old Swedish law prohibiting motorists from operating a vehicle with any detectable level of a controlled substance in the driver's blood has not reduced incidents of drugged driving, according to data published in the December issue of the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.

"Sweden's zero-concentration limit has done nothing to reduce DUID [driving under the influence of drugs] or deter the typical offender because recidivism is high in this population of individuals," the study concludes. "Indeed, many traffic delinquents in Sweden are criminal elements in society with previous convictions for drunk and/or drugged driving as well as other offenses. The spectrum of drugs identified in blood samples from DUID suspects has not changed much since the zero-limit law was introduced."

Under Swedish law, motorists who drive with trace levels of cannabis or other controlled substances in their blood may face up to two years in prison.

In the US, ten states have enacted so-called "zero tolerance" drugged driving laws, making it a criminal offense for an individual to operate a motor vehicle with any detectable level of a Schedule I substance present in his or her bodily fluids. In six of these states, the law also prohibits motorists from operating a motor vehicle if they have trace levels of non-psychoactive marijuana metabolites in their system. Three states -- Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Virginia -- have enacted per se drugged driving standards, prohibiting individuals from operating a motor vehicle if they have levels of Schedule I drugs present in their body above a specific threshold. All other states employ an "effect based" standard for DUID, which penalizes motorists only if their observed impairment may be linked to the recent ingestion of a controlled substance.

This past August, the Bush administration approved legislation ordering the Transportation Secretary, in cooperation with National Institutes of Health (NIH), to submit a report to Congress estimating the prevalence of "drugged driving" and assessing the available "technologies for measuring driver impairment resulting from use of the most common illicit drugs (including the use of such drugs in combination with alcohol.)"

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Driving under the influence of drugs in Sweden with zero concentration limits in blood for controlled substances," appears in the December issue of Traffic Injury Prevention. A comprehensive breakdown of state drugged driving laws appears in NORML's report, "You Are Going Directly to Jail: DUID Legislation: What It Means, Who's Behind It, and Strategies to Prevent It," available online at: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6492

DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6723

Two City Medical Use Initiatives Approved by Voters in Michigan

November 9, 2005 - Ferndale & Traverse City, MI, USA

Ferndale and Traverse City, Michigan: Voters approved two municipal level marijuana-related initiatives in Michigan on Tuesday. Proposal D in Ferndale, which exempts medical use patients from local criminal penalties if they are acting with their physician's recommendation, was approved with the support of 61% of the voters; and Proposal 3 in Traverse City, which requires the police to make the prosecution of medical cannabis patients the town's lowest law enforcement priority, and exempts authorized caregivers from criminal prosecution, was approved with support of 63% of the voters. Similar measures were passed by Ann Arbor (by 74%) and Detroit (by 60%) in 2004.

Tim Beck, Executive Director of Michigan NORML said "With the approval of these two medical use initiatives, and the approval of similar initiatives in Detroit and Ann Arbor last year, it is crystal clear where the voters stand."

"The handwriting is on the wall," Beck continued. "Serious change in public policy is coming to Michigan, through either the legislature, or a statewide ballot initiative, if necessary."

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at 202-483-5500; or Tim Beck, MI NORML Executive Director at 313-881-8995.

Full text of the Traverse City municipal initiative can be found at: http://www.compassionatemi.org/Welcome.html - full text for the Ferndale initiative can be found at: http://www.ferndalecares.org

DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6722

Spain Grants Limited Access To Medical Cannabis Spray

November 9, 2005 - Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, Spain: Spanish health officials have approved the importation and use of Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts, for select patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), neuropathic pain, and other conditions.

Produced by the British biotechnology firm GW Pharmaceuticals and marketed by Bayer, Sativex is a whole plant medicinal cannabis extract containing precise doses of the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol (CBD), as well as naturally existing terpenoids (oils) and flavonoids (antioxidants). In clinical trials, Sativex has been demonstrated to alleviate numerous MS-associated symptoms compared to placebo, including pain, muscle spasms, and bladder incontinence. The drug is available by prescription in Canada and is pending regulatory approval in the United Kingdom.

Six hundred patients, including those suffering from MS, chronic pain, cancer, and the AIDS wasting syndrome, will be provided Sativex under the Spanish Ministry of Health's compassionate access program. The government's limited approval of the drug marks the first time Europeans will have legal access to Sativex outside of a clinical trial.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.

DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6724

Source: NORML Foundation (DC)
Published: November 9, 2005
Copyright: 2005 NORML
Contact: norml@norml.org
Website: http://www.norml.org/

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