UK website Leafie writes….
The findings of a study published in JAMA Psychiatry have revealed that road testing for cannabis impairment may be putting up to 1.4m medical cannabis users at risk of unfair prosecution, according to a report by Volteface.
The double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial took place over two years between 2017 and 2019 at the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California. Participants were asked to consume a ‘cannabis cigarette’ then tasked with using a driving simulator. Further simulator tests were given at 30 minutes, 1.5, 3.5, and 4.5 hours after smoking. The results show that driving impairment for a regular cannabis consumer, when compared to the controlled placebo receiving group, was highest at 30 mins post-consumption.
After about 3.5 hours, participants in the cannabis-consuming group claimed that their perception of their driving skills had improved. However, the participants’ perceptions did not match the results of the driving simulator, as the results show that while recorded driving skill scores improved at 3.5 hours, levels of impairments did not totally diminish until roughly 4.5 hours after consumption.
The results of the study are a matter of concern to medicinal cannabis advocates, caregivers and policymakers, who say the UK’s roadside drug testing methods are wildly inaccurate. Current testing systems detect traces of cannabis for 30 hours after use, but according to the study, effects on driving wear off after 4.5 hours. As many patients use cannabis-based medicines to aid with sleep, the current detection window is of significant concern. Alternative tests, such as the LuciX platform from Dutch company Bloonics, are able to provide detailed information about the cannabinoids present in someone’s system, including synthetic cannabinoids. “We cannot, in good conscience as a society, allow outdated cannabis testing to impose such dangerous and unfair consequences onto medical patients,” founder Lex Beresnev said.
Campaigners are calling for the government to revise the current laws and bring them up to date with contemporary data. They say that medicinal patients must be able to use their prescribed medication in a responsible way without fear of prosecution.
Read more https://www.leafie.co.uk/news/uk-cannabis-roadside-testing-failures/
