by Playfuls Staff |
19th September 2006
A Chicago-area school counselor says teenagers do not believe marijuana has an adverse effect on their [more] driving.
However, Cathy Cratty, of Highland Park School District 113, said the teenagers are aware of the dangers posed by alcohol, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.
"It just kept coming up, left and right: `We know we shouldn't drive after drinking, but it's OK to drive after smoking pot,'" Cratty said.
National surveys have suggested high school students are as likely to drive high as drunk, but unlike drinking, they do not believe their actions are dangerous.
"They perceive themselves as being less impaired when smoking marijuana," said Jocelyn Boudreau, a social worker at the Rosecrance adolescent treatment center in Rockford, Ill. "The overarching and clear message (to teens) has been: `You drink, you drive, you die.'
"There really hasn't been that same kind of consistent message for marijuana."
Marijuana's contribution to fatal crashes is largely unknown, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not generate statistics on wrecks involving the drug.
© 2006 UPI
