Driving on drugs appears to be a significant problem, says the Christian Science Monitor. The new federal 2007 Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use said that the share of Americans driving while intoxicated on weekend nights is at a low of 2.2 percent. For the first time, the survey also looked at drug use late on weekend nights. It found that 16.3 percent of drivers had traces of drugs in their system, including marijuana, cocaine, and various stimulants, sedatives, antidepressants, and narcotics.
It was difficult to tell from the findings whether the drivers were impaired, because traces of some drugs like marijuana can be found weeks after a chronic user has stopped taking the drug. J.T. Griffin of Mothers Against Drunk Driving says the group has “major concerns” about the number of people driving under the influence of drugs, but the group will keep its focus on drunken driving.