Light Up A Joint And Get Behind The Wheel: Help California Police Study Impairment And Driving

The California Department of Motor Vehicles wants to know more about what goes on when people drive while stoned. To that end, it is conducting a study to be overseen by researchers at UC San Diego's Center for Medical Cannabis Research, writes CBS News.

Even though recreational cannabis was legalized in California seven years ago and medical marijuana in 1996, the state has yet to come up with a system for regulating driving under the influence. This comes as no surprise as determining cannabis impairment is not as simple as confirming alcohol levels in one’s system. Traces of THC (the compound from the plant that gets you high) stays in the system for days, even though the person is not necessarily impaired.

While scientists are busily researching effective marijuana breathalyzers, no such device has been developed and cleared for use by law enforcement.

New Study Highlights

The purpose of the California DMV study is to examine how cannabis consumption affects driving abilities.

Participants will be given either cannabis or a placebo to smoke and then asked to drive around the California Highway Patrol Academy racetrack in a vehicle with sensors that record their actions and movements within just two centimeters.

"Folks that are under the influence of narcotics or marijuana, they tend to react slower," said CHP officer Vince Ramirez. "The way they turn the steering wheel, the way they apply the brakes."

Ramirez added that law enforcement has been trained to look for signs of impairment by closely examining a person's eyes and the way they speak as they often talk slowly.

The research has federal and state approvals but is not yet accepting volunteers though is expected to begin looking for them soon.

Lori Bergenstock from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) supports the study. 

“The more we look into how cannabis impacts driving, the better educated and the better equipped we are to deal with it – the better-equipped law enforcement is to deal with it," she said.

A similar project was conducted in Maryland this year. While the police didn’t analyze volunteers while driving, they're examining them under the influence to better understand what it looks like to be high, and what signs they should be looking for.

Related Links: 

No Correlation Between THC Detection And Driving Performance Found In Largest Trial To Date

Driving Under Cannabis Influence? Legal Recreational Markets Linked To Fatal Accidents, Study Finds 

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Photo: Courtesy of Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash