Can CBD actually have an effect on driving? That's the question Australian and Dutch researchers have asked themselves. The preliminary results of this research already provide a tentative answer to this question.
CBD oil behind the wheel of a car
In Poland, as in many countries around the world, CBD oil is a legal, safe and increasingly popular supplement used prophylactically, as well as to treat or support the treatment of many diseases.
A recent study conducted by Australian and Dutch research experts and published in JAMA looked at how CBD affects driving, including in terms of patients using medical marijuana.
As you know, marijuana used for medical purposes contains the psychoactive ingredient THC in addition to CBD. According to a study by Australian and Dutch researchers, while THC can cause impaired driving, there is no indication of this in the case of the negative effects of CBD, which is also a supplement such as CBD oil.
Scientific study
The study looked at how CBD affects driving under real-world conditions. It also compared driving with and without the use of CBD. But it didn't stop there, as the researchers looked at the effects of driving a car under the influence of THC and with a combination of THC and CBD.
For the experiment, participants drove on the highway for 40 minutes, and then again, four hours later. The study authors paid attention to how the subjects turned, changed lanes and whether they drove in a straight line at all while under the influence of THC or CBD, as well as without the use of these compounds.
After analyzing the driving results, it was found that there was no difference in driving impairment both with and without CBD use. However, the study did detect mild impairment associated with the combination of THC and CBD and the use of THC alone.
- These findings indicate for the first time that CBD administered without THC does not affect driving ability, confirmed Thomas Arkell, the study's author, "This is great news for those using or considering treatment with CBD-based products," he added.
Weakening motor skills after cannabis
The study confirmed another important point, that with the use of the psychoactive compound THC, there are no driving impairment effects after just four hours. Previous studies have shown that it takes about three hours for motor skills to weaken after smoking marijuana.
