Nobody recommends driving while high.
Well, not nobody..
But years into legalization, it’s not clear if stoned drivers have become a hazard that demands a response. Even if they were, nobody would know what to do about them.
Blood alcohol content and impairment generally rise in parallel, and the alcohol leaves the body relatively quickly. Breathalyzer tests are a quick and non-invasive way to tell if a driver is drunk.
But testing for stoned drivers isn’t as straightforward. Some jurisdictions, including Colorado, have set standards for what constitutes cannabis impairment, such as five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood. But there is no linear correlation between blood THC concentration and impairment, and testing requires a blood or saliva sample.
It's as much an issue of how to test as compared to a breathalyser. Yet is it even dangerous?
As a result, while marijuana can impair motor skills, the available data, as discussed in a 2017 report by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, suggests the odds of being involved in a crash immediately after using cannabis are significantly lower than crash rates after drinking.
The stock explanation is alcohol makes drivers more aggressive and accident prone, while drivers who are high are more likely to drive too slowly. Several studies cited by NHTSA suggest this is broadly correct.
I remember driving with a friend on a country road with high hedges that took on a tunnel effect, and it was almost like traveling through light speed.. I remember asking 'dude, shouldn't we slow down..', to which he said 'yeah..' and checked the speedometer, we were going at 30mp/h..
But driving high happens. The California delivery service Eaze recently surveyed cannabis users on how they get around.
It found 64% of cannabis consumers self-report driving within four hours of consuming cannabis and 20% say they drive within an hour after consuming. There was no consensus among consumers about how much cannabis is safe to take before driving. (They were less likely to drive stoned with a child in the car.)
Of adults who consume and drive, 77% believe it doesn’t affect their driving and 16% believe it improves their driving, according to the survey. Men and younger drivers are more likely to drive within eight hours of consuming.
As cannabis is slowly legalised thoughout the US and other countries, should there be regulations on toking and driving?
