Cannabis News
Can you drive on CBD oil?
Can you drive on CBD oil? According to a newly published study, medical cannabis at very high doses does not impair driving. In the study conducted by Australian researchers, 1,500mg of cannabidiol (CBD) – the highest daily dose of CBD available – was discovered to not affect people’s driving or cognitive abilities.
Many people around the world benefit from CBD, a component of cannabis that helps them relax and feel more energetic. This substance is usually taken orally in the form of oil, but it is also often made into other edible substances, like sweets or chocolate.
As it is illegal to market the substance as a health product and it is not available on the NHS, it is classified as a food supplement in the UK. It is allowed to drive whilst under the influence of CBD in many countries, including the UK. Due to its lack of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the substance that gets people high when they smoke cannabis, it is not psychoactive.
First study to confirm CBD is driver-safe
Lead author Dr. Danielle McCartney, of the University of Sydney, said: “Though CBD is generally considered non-intoxicating, its effects on safety-sensitive tasks are still being established. Our study is the first to confirm that, when consumed on its own, CBD is driver-safe.”
The sedative effects of THC do not appear to occur with CBD, which is reported to relieve pain and reduce euphoria. It normally takes three to four hours for CBD to reach its peak concentration in a person’s blood plasma after ingesting it, although responses differ from person to person.
Since 2016, the University of Sydney has reported that around 55,000 requests to access medicinal CBD have been approved in Australia. Pain, insomnia, and anxiety are among the most common prescriptions for CBD.
17 participants took placebos or took 15, 30, or 1,500mg of CBD oil during the study, which was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. For conditions such as epilepsy, pain, sleep disorders, and anxiety, these amounts represent commonly consumed doses in Australia: 150 mg over the counter and 1,500 mg daily.
So can you drive on CBD oil?
During the test, participants first had to maintain a safe distance from a lead vehicle and then drive along rural roads and highways. To cover the range of plasma concentrations at different time points, they repeated these measurements between 45 and 75 minutes after taking their CBD dosage and 3.5 to 4 hours later.
For each varying level of dosage, as well as the placebo, each participant repeated this four times. Tests were administered on cognitive function, subjective experiences, and CBD concentrations in blood plasma, as well as a standardised measure of the participants’ driving ability that tested how much the simulated car weaved or drifted. It was concluded that no dose of CBD induced feelings of intoxication or appeared to impair either driving or cognitive performance.
Dr. McCartney said: “We do, however, caution that this study looked at CBD in isolation only and that drivers taking CBD with other medications should do so with care.”
