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A recent scientific review challenges the common assumption that THC blood levels reliably indicate cannabis impairment while driving. Published last week on Preprints with The Lancet, the report—authored by a team from Canada’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Health Canada, and Thomas Jefferson University—analyzes over a dozen peer-reviewed studies to assess the relationship between blood THC levels and driving performance. Surprisingly, most studies showed no significant linear correlation between blood THC and impaired driving.
The review analyzed twelve studies examining how blood THC impacts various driving metrics, such as lane positioning, speed, reaction time, and overall driving performance. Ten studies found no correlation between blood THC levels and these performance measures. Only two studies, which were part of the same research, identified some association but only in complex driving scenarios.
The researchers clarified that while there is no simple correlation between THC levels and driving ability, they are not dismissing the risks of driving under the influence of cannabis. They suggest that factors such as task complexity might reveal a nuanced relationship between blood THC and driving, particularly in challenging environments that involve distractions or require split-second reactions.
This report casts doubt on the THC per se laws in many states, which rely on set THC limits in the blood to define cannabis impairment. Such laws, researchers argue, might inaccurately assess impairment by disregarding the complex interaction between blood THC and actual impairment. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has previously found that blood THC levels do not correlate with crash risk in the same way as blood alcohol content.
The researchers propose that future studies should investigate how task complexity and THC potency influence the relationship between cannabis use and impaired driving. This review echoes findings from prior studies and statements from federal agencies, such as the DOJ and NHTSA, which have also questioned THC blood levels as an indicator of driving risk. The need for a more accurate measure of cannabis impairment continues to grow as cannabis legalization expands across the U.S., with increasing calls from lawmakers to establish a reliable, science-backed testing method.
Read the whole article from MarijuanaMoment here.
