Association of cannabis edibles-induced impairment in simulated driving with THC in blood and saliva: Implications for road safety

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Converging evidence suggests that the use of cannabis increases the risk of motor vehicle collisions. At present, deterring driving under the influence of cannabis involves detection of THC (the psychoactive component of cannabis) in blood and saliva. Most of the evidence we have to inform the legal cut-offs of THC in blood and saliva are derived from studies in which people smoked cannabis. It is known that about 40% of cannabis users consume their product in food, which has implications for road safety because blood THC levels are lower after eating cannabis as compared to smoking cannabis. Despite this, cannabis taken orally is also intoxicating. This suggests that it may be difficult to detect THC in blood and saliva in people who drive after using cannabis edibles. More studies are needed to delineate the relationship between THC in blood and saliva and changes in driving after using cannabis edibles. In the present study participants drove a high fidelity driving simulator before and after ingesting a legally purchased cannabis edible that they brought to the lab for consumption. Blood was collected for detection of THC and CBD levels and the amount of THC in saliva was also tested at the time of the drives. The present study was the first investigation into the effects of cannabis edibles on simulated driving, and the association of changes in driving with THC in blood and detection of THC in saliva. The results of the present study will have important implications for road safety and the results of this study will be disseminated to the wider public.                                        

This study was funded by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

The Team:
Patricia Di Ciano                       Omer Hasan              Harika Kuppala
Bernard Le Foll                          Sheng Chen              Kruti Bhakta
Christine Wickens

Thank you Harika Kuppala for the wonderful Infographic!

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