A new German regulation provides for an extensive medico-psychological testing procedure in cases of suspected cannabis use, to be paid for by the driving license holder who is placed under suspicion. A brief account of the pertinent German legislation is presented, and the test measures are analysed and criticised, using data from a representative survey conducted in the city of Bremen. Cannabis use, although a common feature of youth culture, is causally involved in comparatively few traffic accidents. Viewing the recent regulation, together with a pervasively negative estimation of cannabis effects by the older generations, the test measures are interpreted as part of a general strategy in an ongoing generational conflict. (Author/publisher)
Abstract