[quote]It's something most seasoned pot smokers already know, but still it's nice to get more scientific confirmation: Marijuana doesn't make you wreck your car.
Subjects show almost identical driving skills just before and just after smoking marijuana, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
Investigators from Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine measured the simulated driving performance of 85 people in a double-blind, placebo controlled trial.
Volunteers responded to various simulated events associated with auto crash risk, such as avoiding a driver who was entering an intersection illegally, deciding to stop or go through a changing traffic light, responding to the presence of emergency vehicles, avoiding colliding with a dog who entered into traffic, and maintaining safe driving during a secondary (in-the-car) sound distraction.
Test subjects performed the tests sober, and then again 30 minutes after smoking a joint containing wither 2.9 percent THC or a placebo joint with no THC.
The volunteers performed virtually the same after smoking marijuana as they did sober and/or after smoking bunk pot. "No differences were found during the baseline driving segment (and the) collision avoidance scenarios," the scientists reported.
One reason no increase in accidents is associated with marijuana may be the well known "little old lady" syndrome, in which pot-smoking drivers slow down and drive more cautiously to compensate for any slight impairment that may occur.
"Participants receiving active marijuana decreased their speed more so than those receiving placebo cigarette during (the) distracted section of the drive," the study reported.
Authors suggested that test subjects' reduction in speed on this task could mean that they were compensating for perceived impairment.
"No other changes in driving performance were found," researchers concluded.
A 2008 driving simulator study published in the scientific journal Accident, Analysis and Prevention also found that drivers who smoked marijuana were more likely to decrease their driving speed.
"Average speed was the most sensitive driving performance variable affected by both THC and alcohol but with an opposite effect," investigators reported. "Smoking THC cigarettes caused drivers to drive slower in a dose-dependent manner, while alcohol caused driers to drive significantly faster than in 'control' conditions."
The federal government's Department of Transportation (DOT) did research with a fully interactive simulator on the effects of alcohol and marijuana, alone and in combination, on driver behavior and performance ("The Effects of Alcohol on Driver-Controlled Behavior in a Driving Simulator, Phase I," DOT-HS-806-414). The study found that alcohol consistently and significantly caused impairment -- but that marijuana only had an occasional effect.
A more recent federal study found that "THC [the active ingredient in marijuana] is not a profoundly impairing drug... It apparently affects controlled information processing in a variety of laboratory tests, but not to the extent which is beyond the individual's ability to control when he is motivated and permitted to do so in driving" ("Marijuana and Actual Performance," DOT-HS-808-078).
The federal study says that "It appears not possible to conclude anything about a driver's impairment on the basis of his/her plasma concentrations of THC... determined in a single sample."[/quote]
[url=http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2010/05/study_marijuana_doesnt_affect_driving_performance.php]Source[/url]
From personal experience, driving under the influence of Marijuana turns into a game of "stay in your lane". I still haven't crashed. :smile:
Still better to be safe though.
as someone who smokes alot of bud, i have to disagree with this. If you smoke enough, i'd bet you can easily crash your car. Not to mention the drowsyness. it really depends on how much you smoke.
That's not a problem though, as most of the time you'd just be driving down shopping districts slowly looking for SOMEWHERE TO FUCKING EAT.
It's still not giving you health benefits though.
Those who take it before driving that is.
[QUOTE=Emperorconor;22322680]It's still not giving you health benefits though.[/QUOTE]
Sensitive-use Cancer Patients would disagree with you.
If they want this to be some tide turning debate on the legalization of the subject they should probably not use "little old lady" syndrome....
Those Little Old Ladies are the cause of most accidents. Almost everyone who has an accident story has one of a little old lady.
This isn't news tbh.
What makes this more funny is its from a pro-weed website. Of course they're going to post that.
Makes me drive less like a dickhead, with a heavy right foot.
And that's a good thing.
Lul. The news board in the source didn't just make it up, they have sources too.
[url]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20464803[/url]
[url]http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7600[/url]
[url]http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/misc/driving/driving.htm[/url]
etc.
[QUOTE=MR-X;22322717]This isn't news tbh.
What makes this more funny is its from a pro-weed website. Of course they're going to post that.[/QUOTE]
You say that like it invalidates the findings.
[QUOTE=Emperorconor;22322680]It's still not giving you health benefits though.[/QUOTE]
It helps people with arthritis.
If I'm honest I've had a couple of spliffs and driven, not smoked by myself mind you so I was pretty mellow. I felt more alert and much more aware, unlike drinking when you become dissociated. You are fully aware that you have smoked and because of the inherent paranoia when you are driving and smoking you make an overcompensation and drive a little slower, double check everything and take extra care. I probably drive safer when I've blazed, not that I do it often.
The only problem is forgetting which lane you have to be in xD
Edit - Yeah I just read the post and I pretty much described what the post said, "Old Lady Syndrome" The awareness that you are on something makes you overcompensate because really it's not impairing you that much at all. I've had people up behind me flashing their lights last time, I freaked out as you would after smoking then my girlfriend pointed out that I was doing 20 in a 30 :P
[QUOTE=The golden;22322821][b]It does throw in quite a large bias.[/b]
I don't know what the fuck the study is on about, beacuse there are quite a noticeable amount of marijuana related accidents here.[/QUOTE]
Doesn't it make sense to use evidence that backs up your claim?
[QUOTE=The golden;22322821]It does throw in quite a large bias.
I don't know what the fuck the study is on about, beacuse there are quite a noticeable amount of marijuana related accidents here.[/QUOTE]
I don't think you get it a marijuana related accident, can be listed as one simply for them being in posession, or have it found in the car, or even if the officer thinks they have been smoking when it was hours ago.
[quote]Most importantly, the subjects were always able to complete every ride without major interventions by the driving instructors and their safety was never compromised.[/quote]
Hrm, I wonder what the study is going on about.
[QUOTE=Keeshond v2;22322664]as someone who smokes alot of bud, i have to disagree with this. If you smoke enough, i'd bet you can easily crash your car. Not to mention the drowsyness. it really depends on how much you smoke.
That's not a problem though, as most of the time you'd just be driving down shopping districts slowly looking for SOMEWHERE TO FUCKING EAT.[/QUOTE]
I would also call bullshit as someone who smokes weed.
Mostly because I get really laughy and sometimes I'm laughing so hard my walking ability is impaired.
[QUOTE=The golden;22322685]Seeing how the source link is a pro-weed news board, I have to call bullshit.
Also the fact there have been [b]several cannabis related accidents in this city.[/b][/QUOTE]
Compared to how many alcohol related incidents?
I would still keep it as not having any mind or body altering substance in your body regardless, to be on the safe side.
[QUOTE=Perfumly;22322923]I would also call bullshit as someone who smokes weed.
Mostly because I get really laughy and sometimes I'm laughing so hard my walking ability is impaired.[/QUOTE]
You aren't laughing when you're driving a big hunk of metal with the ability to smash someone into a pulp, with that revelation you take extra care and drive alot slower checking everything twice as you go. Trust me. I've done it a few times.
[quote]Hrm, I wonder what the study is going on about.[/quote]
I wouldn't be suprised if they took them out on the road in a dual control car, yes it's highly illegal but no names are mentioned so how can a prosecution be made.
[B]ONE JOINT?![/B]
Jesus christ! One joint! I thought they gave them 3-4 it's fucking nothing to smoke one and drive especially after 30 minutes!
[QUOTE=Broni;22322957]You aren't laughing when you're driving a big hunk of metal with the ability to smash someone into a pulp, with that revelation you take extra care and drive alot slower checking everything twice as you go. Trust me. I've done it a few times.[/QUOTE]
I was laughing at a bowl of milk
[QUOTE=Broni;22322957]You aren't laughing when you're driving a big hunk of metal with the ability to smash someone into a pulp, with that revelation you take extra care and drive alot slower checking everything twice as you go. Trust me. I've done it a few times.
I wouldn't be suprised if they took them out on the road in a dual control car, yes it's highly illegal but no names are mentioned so how can a prosecution be made.[/QUOTE]
Agree'd, pot makes you laugh at times when stuff is funny and really paranoid when you're doing something like... well driving a car.
I'm not even sure why I had a bowl of milk
but it was a funny bowl of milk for sure
A bowl of milk isn't remotely equal to driving a car. I seriously doubt you'd be laughing.
I've done it hundreds of times, it's not hard at all.
As a toker, it kinda pisses me off when people make this far reaching claims that try and make weed sound like a wonder drug. No, it doesn't give you testicular cancer, no, it doesn't kill brain cells, no, it doesn't make your children more likely to develop schizophrenia. But yes, it does slow down your reaction times, and when people can point to obviously biased studies like these and claim that all studies done on marijuana are the exact same, it ultimately really hurts our argument for legalization.
-snip- automerge broken.
[QUOTE=Broni;22322957]You aren't laughing when you're driving a big hunk of metal with the ability to smash someone into a pulp, with that revelation you take extra care and drive alot slower checking everything twice as you go. Trust me. I've done it a few times.
I wouldn't be suprised if they took them out on the road in a dual control car, yes it's highly illegal but no names are mentioned so how can a prosecution be made.
[B]ONE JOINT?![/B]
Jesus christ! One joint! I thought they gave them 3-4 it's fucking nothing to smoke one and drive especially after 30 minutes![/QUOTE]
The hesitation you are describing when driving is actually what causes accidents.
Although you are compensating for YOUR SELF, no one else is compensating for YOUR reactions. They are driving normal where as you are driving differently than everyone else.
Anyone who has driven a car knows that hesitation is what causes accidents.
Also, you speak as if everyone is exactly the same. It is fine if you say that smoking makes you a better driver (in your eyes), but it is kind of wacky to say it affects EVERYONE the exact same EVERY time no matter what.
[QUOTE=SKuM;22323048]As a toker, it kinda pisses me off when people make this far reaching claims that try and make weed sound like a wonder drug. No, it doesn't give you testicular cancer, no, it doesn't kill brain cells, no, it doesn't make your children more likely to develop schizophrenia. But yes, it does slow down your reaction times, and when people can point to obviously biased studies like these and claim that all studies done on marijuana are the exact same, it ultimately really hurts our argument for legalization.[/QUOTE]
I think it's meant to highlight the fact that why is marijuana illegal when alcohol is legal and impairs driving massively.
Then again I would say this study is unfair, having one joint and driving I'd say is the equivalent of having a drink and being under the limit. Though I would say it's safer to be driving after smoking, definitely.
[QUOTE=Superginger;22323041]A bowl of milk isn't remotely equal to driving a car. I seriously doubt you'd be laughing.
I've done it hundreds of times, it's not hard at all.[/QUOTE]
People are different, I've had serious situations while smoking too and could never take them seriously (ie. friend's parents coming home, was just loling some more)
[QUOTE=The golden;22322685]Seeing how the source link is a pro-weed news board, I have to call bullshit.
Also the fact there have been several cannabis related accidents in this city.[/QUOTE]
Probably had both alcohol and weed in their system, but the weed got blamed as well for being illegal.
[QUOTE=Squad;22323068]The hesitation you are describing when driving is actually what causes accidents.
Although you are compensating for YOUR SELF, no one else is compensating for YOUR reactions. They are driving normal where as you are driving differently than everyone else.
Anyone who has driven a car knows that hesitation is what causes accidents.
Also, you speak as if everyone is exactly the same. It is fine if you say that smoking makes you a better driver (in your eyes), but it is kind of wacky to say it affects EVERYONE the exact same EVERY time no matter what.[/QUOTE]
No it's not hesitation at all I think you read me wrong, I'm still completely confident while driving. I can drive sober without concentrating it's all subconcious to me driving a car.. So why would a alteration in my concious mind alter my driving ability. All It does to me is make me go back to the strict safety checks that I no longer do in my normal driving.
I rarely check my rearview mirror, I don't do my blindspot checks and not many people who have got their licence do. I just go back to it and drive extremely cautiously, mainly because I don't want to get pulled over.
The only thing I do that affects other road users, Is drive like an old lady which usually gets me flashed then I realize I'm driving 10 under and speed up. Which sin't exactly an impairment, if I want to drive 10 under I'm fully within my right to..It's just irritating and I flash people when they drive 10 under.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.