Scientists at the Chemistry and Drug Metabolism, Intramural Research Program under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health in Maryland have concluded in a new study published in Clinical Chemistry, that pot smoking can negatively impair a driver's ability to maneuver a vehicle for up to one month after their last toke.
Clinicians at the research program studied the impact of marijuana on driving performance and examined 30 male subjects over a 33-day period who smoked marijuana habitually. After one month of sustained abstinence, doctors discovered that the blood levels of the subjects had traces of cannabinoids (a natural component unique to the cannabis plant).
The study marks the first time a test has shown the lingering systemic effects of smoking marijuana which is legalized for recreational use in two states and medically permitted in 18.
As far as to what extent is someone's driving ability impaired after smoking marijuana, the study's researchers did not specify. However another study that appeared in the British Medical Journal earlier this year concluded in no uncertain terms that smoking marijuana nearly doubles the risk of a car crash. The scientists mentioned in the UK journal that examples of driving that has been impaired by smoking marijuana, tailgating and weaving through traffic.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse among those impaired drivers who were either fatally injured or involved in crashes, the most prevalent illegal drug detected was marijuana.
--Car Chick™
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