A recent study found that using cannabis edibles left drivers feeling less willing to drive, and driving at slower speeds. Furthermore, the study also found no statistically significant differences from the sober controls when it came to measures of driving ability. And importantly, there was no correlation found between driving impairment and blood THC levels.
That’s important new data, given the ongoing politics of legalization rolling out across America, where fears of stoned driving have long-driven critics’ objections. Florida will vote on legalization this fall.
The study, published in the Journal of Cannabis Research, is the first to investigate the impact of cannabis edibles on driving—as opposed to smoking. That’s important because edibles hit differently. While there have been many studies investigating inhaled cannabis’ impact on driving, these authors wanted to investigate edibles because THC takes longer to kick in and feels different when you eat it. Since edibles are a popular way to consume cannabis, it’s crucial to understand how they might impact safety for everyone on the road.
Drivers on edibles had so few collisions that researchers could not even evaluate that factor in their final analysis.
Adding to the research on driving high
Previous research has found mild impairments for driving under the influence of cannabis – specifically increases in weaving back and forth. These impacts tend to be more drastic for those who aren’t regular cannabis users. Frequent consumers have shown less impairment from cannabis than those who use cannabis occasionally, likely due to building a tolerance to cannabis’ disorienting effects.
Still, unlike alcohol, research suggests that cannabis leads to less risk-taking behaviors, slower speeds, and lower confidence in driving ability—which may reduce the overall impact of the impairments. This may be why some evidence suggests there are no increases in traffic fatalities when recreational cannabis laws are adopted.
Do drivers on edibles perform differently?
To study how cannabis edibles impacted driving, researchers set up an experimental design where participants consumed their preferred edibles and then tried out a driving simulator. These edibles varied by the individual and included gummies, chocolates, cookies, and brownies with an average dose of 7.3 milligrams of THC—a pretty standard amount. The researchers also measured blood THC levels and assessed the participants’ feelings after they took their edible.
The study occurred in Toronto, Canada, and included 22 people ages 19-74 with valid driver’s licenses. Participants abstained from cannabis for 72 hours before the experiment. Researchers took baseline THC levels and ensured no other psychoactive drugs or alcohol had been taken before the driving test.
To add some controls to the experiment, the researchers had participants do a practice session on the simulator. Then they conducted test sessions where participants were either given their chosen edible or a cannabis-free placebo edible 120 minutes before simulated driving. Driving took their tests at 120, 240, and 360 minutes after taking the edible.
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