Research shows CBD safe for driving and THC effects fade in hours.
Scientists from the Lambert Initiative have shown that a medically active component of cannabis does not impact driving ability and moderate THC intoxication lasts a few hours, with implications for drug-driving laws and managing medical cannabis.
A landmark study on how cannabis affects driving ability has shown that cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis component now widely used for medical purposes, does not impair driving, while moderate amounts of the main intoxicating component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produce mild driving impairment lasting up to four hours.
The study was led the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at the University of Sydney and conducted at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. It was published today in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association.
The Method
The study involved giving 26 healthy participants four different types of cannabis in a random order to vaporise on four separate occasions. Each participant’s driving performance was then assessed on the road in real-world conditions along a 100-kilometre stretch of public highway in a dual control car with a driving instructor present.
The tests were done at Maastricht University in the Netherlands using a well-established scientific test that measures standard deviation of vehicle position (SDLP), an index of lane weaving, swerving and overcorrecting. SDLP increases under the influence of alcohol and drugs such as Valium and Stilnox.
Participants vaporised cannabis containing mainly THC, mainly CBD, THC and CBD in combination, or placebo cannabis (no active components). The amount of THC vaporised by participants was enough to cause strong feelings of intoxication.
View the full story via Sydney University – Cannabidiol in cannabis does not impair driving, landmark study shows – The University of Sydney
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