As Canada gears up for recreational cannabis legalization next summer, several organizations want you to keep in mind that ‘Green Doesn’t Always Mean Go.’

This is the tagline of a new campaign by the Canada Safety Council and Public Safety Canada, who have chosen National Safe Driving Week (Dec. 1-7) to remind Canadians that it’s their responsibility not to get behind the wheel while high.

“It’s a very dangerous idea to drive after consuming marijuana,” said Canada Safety Council president Jack Smith. “There’s often a comparison made between driving drunk and driving high. Too often, the question becomes which is more dangerous. The real question should be, why risk either in the first place?”

The groups say driving under the influence of cannabis has emerged as one of Canadians’ top concerns ahead of legalization. They say combining cannabis with driving comes with a range of potentially fatal risks, claiming:

- Cannabis use reduces reaction time.

- Cannabis use alters one’s sense of the passage of time This can make a driver wait longer than needed at a stop sign or green light, or it can have the opposite effect and encourage an impatient driver to bolt through a red light.

- Drivers who consume cannabis and alcohol at the same time may experience a multiplicative effect of these drugs’ effects on the body.

The groups emphasize that they aren’t opposing legalization, but are simply offering a solution to potential problems: avoid driving after using cannabis.

“The effects of marijuana typically last between one and six hours, depending on the amount and method of consumption,” reads a press release. “When in doubt, err on the side of caution and wait the full six hours before driving.”

h/t Morinville News