'World-First' Medical Marijuana Driving Trial Approved In Australia, Victoria Government Invests $4.9M

Victoria, the first state in Australia to legalize medical marijuana in 2016, is preparing to launch, probably, the world-first medical marijuana driving trial. As part of the Victorian Budget 2024/25, the Labor Government will invest $4.9 million in the trial.

State Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne confirmed Tuesday that the Labor Government has teamed up with Swinburne University of Technology to assess the effects of doctor-prescribed medical cannabis on people's driving in a closed-circuit track trial.

"Under our Government, Victoria was the first state in Australia to legalise access to medicinal cannabis – now our world-first trial will see if those taking this medication can safely get behind the wheel," Allan stated.

Swinburne University is preparing to start the 18-month trial, which will take place on a closed-circuit track but mimic real-world driving conditions. Researchers will review participants' ability to manage distractions and assess their driving performance including steering, braking and speed control.

To qualify, participants must have been prescribed medical marijuana for a sleep disorder, chronic pain, or a mental health condition for at least six months. The trial will include pre and post-drive drug impairment screenings.

“This is an evidence-based approach – we're working with researchers from Swinburne University to see whether people can drive with any level of medicinal cannabis without compromising road safety," Horne stated.

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Under state law, it is an offense to drive with any amount of THC in your system, whether from medical marijuana or not. THC can remain in a person's system for several days after they take their prescribed medication, but that doesn't mean that the person was impaired at the time of providing blood, urine or saliva samples.

What's more a recent study partly funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), confirmed that people who use cannabis daily, like medical marijuana patients, can have very high THC levels in their blood even though they may have built up tolerance and are not intoxicated. The research also showed that while THC levels of the daily users after 30 minutes of consumption was about five times higher on average than occasional users, daily users showed no statistically significant impairment, whereas occasional users showed evidence of decreased driving skills. 

See Also: Medical Cannabis Offers Hope To Australians With Chronic Conditions, New Study Reveals

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