Students Smoke and Drive for University Study
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]n ongoing California university study allows San Diego college students smoke cannabis and drive to determine how soon is too soon to get behind the wheel after imbibing.
The University of California San Diego’s Center for Medical Cannabis Research (CMCR) partnered with the California Highway Patrol for the study, which was authorized by the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act. For the study, students smoke a placebo or a joint with either 6.7 or 12.6 percent THC. Then, the students perform a variety of tasks including driving simulations and performance assessments using an iPad. The students also have their blood, saliva and breath tested over 7 hours after smoking cannabis.
“If you smoked this morning are you impaired throughout the day? Are you impaired for a couple of hours? Or are you not impaired? We’re trying to answer that,” said Dr. Tom Marcotte, who is co-director of the CMCR and in charge of the study along with Dr. Barth Wilsey. He said that determining when someone is impaired is difficult with cannabis, because habitual consumers may not be impaired with THC in their system. The study will hopefully find a relationship between THC doses and driving performance.
The study is also breaking down the most efficient way to test for sobriety in cannabis consumers, exploring the possibility of using a iPad instead of standard field sobriety tests. Researchers will be testing motor control, attention and memory to look for more field sobriety test options for law enforcement. It is also studying if saliva or breath tests can serve as a substitute for a blood test in judicial hearings.
The study is already the largest of its kind with 180 students and is currently looking for 80 more. If you live in the area, feel free to fill out this survey for more information. Participants are reimbursed for their time.
