Ep. 42 - Risky Buzzness: Driving While High (Part 1)

Previous research has indicated that driving impaired while under the influence of cannabis can increase safety concerns for both driver and passengers, and that cannabis users are more likely to drive while impaired because of the perception that drugged driving is not as risky as drunk driving.

However, prior driving research studies focused mainly on healthy individuals using intoxicating levels of THC, which do not provide real-world evidence of how new paradigms, such as medical cannabis, influence driving while high. In this episode of Cannabis Nurse Truths, we examine the safety concerns and current attitudes related to driving while high, and we emphasize an immediate need for more reliable drug testing methods and public education campaigns. 

EPISODE RESOURCES

Boicu, B., Al-Hakim, D., Yuan, Y., & Brubacher R.J. (2024). Attitudes toward driving after cannabis use: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 106, 418–430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2024.08.005  

Brooks-Russell, A., Brown, T., Rapp-Olsson, A.M., Friedman, K., & Kosnett, M. (2019). Driving after cannabis use and compensatory driving behaviors among current cannabis users in Colorado. Traffic Injury Prevention, 20(sup2), S199–S201.  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15389588.2019.1665424  

Brown, T., Banz, B., Schmitt, R., Gaffney, G., Milavetz, G., Camenga, D., Li, K., Brooks-Russell, A., & Vaca, F. (2022). A study of self-reported personal cannabis use and state legal status and associations with engagement in and perceptions of cannabis-impaired driving. Traffic Injury Prevention, 23(sup1), S183–S186. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15389588.2022.2124803   

Colizzi, M., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2018). Cannabis use and the development of tolerance: A systematic review of human evidence. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 93, 1-25. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30056176/  

Cuttler, C., Sexton, M., & Mischley, L.K. (2018). Driving under the influence of cannabis: An examination of driving beliefs and practices of medical and recreational cannabis users across the United States. Cannabis, 1(2), Article 2. https://publications.sciences.ucf.edu/cannabis/index.php/Cannabis/article/view/cannabis.2018.02.001  

Di Ciano, P., Rajji, T.K., Hong, L., Zhao, S., Byrne, P., Elzohairy, Y., Brubacher, J.R., McGrath, M., Brands, B., Chen, S., Wang, W., Hasan, O.S.M., Wickens, C.M., Kaduri, P., & Le Foll, B. (2024). Cannabis and driving in older adults. JAMA Network Open, 7(1), e2352233. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2814053  

Dutra, L.M., Gourdet, C., Farrelly, M.C., & Bradfield, B. (2023). Perceived safety, not perceived legality, mediates the relationship between cannabis legalization and drugged driving. Health Education & Behavior: The Official Publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 50(6), 718–727. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35822623/  

Jones, C., Donnelly, N., Swift, W., & Weatherburn, D. (2006). Preventing cannabis users from driving under the influence of cannabis. Accident; Analysis and Prevention, 38(5), 854–861. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16574046/  

Kraemer, M., Madea, B., & Hess, C. (2019). Detectability of various cannabinoids in plasma samples of cannabis users: Indicators of recent cannabis use? Drug Testing and Analysis, 11(10), 1498–1506. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31407526/  

Manning, B., Arkell, T.R., Hayley, A.C., & Downey, L.A. (2024). A semi-naturalistic open-label study examining the effect of prescribed medical cannabis use on simulated driving performance. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 38(3), 247–257. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02698811241229524 

McDonald, A.J., Hamilton, H.A., Wickens, C.M., Watson, T.M., Elton-Marshall, T., Wardell, J.D., Rueda, S., Roerecke, M., Stoduto, G., & Mann, R.E. (2021). Driving under the influence of cannabis risk perceptions and behaviour: A population-based study in Ontario, Canada. Preventive Medicine, 153, 106793. h