Spanish Researchers Find CBD Does Not Impair Driving Performance
The use of cannabidiol (CBD) is becoming more common around the world as more CBD-focused research is conducted and more becomes known about the popular cannabinoid. That is paralleled by innovative entrepreneurs developing CBD products for consumers and patients at an increasing rate.
One question that has lingered in recent years is whether or not CBD products are associated with changes in driving performance. The ‘terror on the roadways’ talking point is used early and often by cannabis opponents wherever cannabis policy modernization efforts are proposed.
A team of researchers in Spain recently conducted a study in which they examined the use of CBD and observed whether or not it induced driving impairment in subjects who consumed CBD. Below is information about the findings of the study via a news release from NORML:
Granada, Spain: Subjects exhibit no significant changes in their driving performance following the use of CBD, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Addiction.
A team of Spanish investigators assessed participants’ simulated driving performance after inhaling CBD or a placebo.
Subjects displayed “no statistically significant changes in overall driving performance score” after vaporizing products containing either 15 percent or 30 percent CBD. Further, researchers identified “no statistically significant differences in secondary outcomes, such as the standard deviation of lateral lane position, distance travelled outside the lane, reaction time, or collisions.” Subjects’ visual functions were also largely unaffected following CBD administration.
The study’s authors concluded: “The results of this study suggest that vaporized CBD seems to be a safe substance for visual function and vision-dependent tasks such as driving. Further studies are needed to ascertain if higher doses of CBD could pose a risk.”
A 2022 Swiss study similarly reported that the oral administration of up to 1500 mg of CBD does not induce changes in simulated driving performance. Another study also reported that subjects who inhale high-CBD/low-THC botanical cannabis do not experience any decrease in their driving abilities.
Full text of the study, “Visual function and vehicle driving performance under the effects of cannabidiol: A randomized cross-over experiment,” appears in Addiction. Additional information on cannabis and driving is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’