PENN STATE

THINKS HERE

MONTANA MORRIS

MARIJUANA AND DRIVING

April 13, 2015

Today, the United States faces an issue of public safety

born through a cultural shift driving while under the
influence of marijuana. According to the National Survey on
Drug Use and Health, marijuana consumption rose from 5.8%
to 7.3% from 2007 until just 2012 in the US population over
the age of twelve. 1 This cultural pressure has even presented
itself in recent legislation. In 2013, Colorado became the first
state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, and today,
three additional states and Washington, DC have adopted
similar policies. On top of these three states, an additional
twenty states allow marijuana for medicinal use. 2 Based on Source: "DrugFacts: Nationwide Trends," National
these recent occurrences, the presence of this movement is Institute on Drug Abuse, January 1, 2014.
undoubted, and as marijuana consumption continues to grow, taming developing problems
in their infancy is crucial. Marijuanas impairment on driving is one such pertinent issue
which requires thoughtful and immediate discussion. Either due to a lack of education or
stringent policy, more and more individuals will drive following marijuana consumption as
its usage increases in America. While under the influence of marijuana, individuals are not
at full capacity to operate a motor vehicle, and thus policy, aimed towards education and
research, must be fortified to decrease its prevalence and promote public safety.
IS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MARIJUANA THAT COMMON?
Among marijuana users, driving under its influence is hardly seen as hazardous in
comparison to substances such as alcohol. Around any college campus such as Penn State,
young adults and adolescents, the population at the heart of this movement towards
legalization, insist that the drug does not vitiate their ability to drive. Whether they are
ignorant or obstinate, this anecdotal evidence highlights a relevant problem. The University
of Washington looked towards other countries in similar situations and found surveys that
paralleled this problem. One study, which they highlighted, stemmed from a survey in
Scotland. Of 537 drivers polled at a toll bridge, 15% of the individuals between 17 and 38
years old admitted to having previously driven after marijuana use. In Britain, a random
survey found that a resounding 40% of university students had driven following marijuana
use.3 Not only do these surveys show high rates of individuals putting others at risk on the
road, their percentages are not entirely representative. In these countries, marijuana is
entirely illegal, and they focused on the percentage of intoxicated drivers without excluding
individuals who do not consume marijuana. If similar statistics placed the United States at
anywhere between 15% and 40% of driving while high in any of its driving population, the
outcome would be even more frightening if marijuana becomes entirely legal. Not only
does the country need to worry about individuals that already consume marijuana starting
to drive more frequently due to its acceptance, but the United States also must realize that
the overall number of marijuana users is going to increase with this movement and
legalization, placing even more individuals under the influence of marijuana on the road.

Marijuana and Driving

IS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MARIJUANA THAT DANGEROUS?

In light of this recent rise in marijuana consumption, the clear medicinal effects
alongside the seemingly riskless recreational aspects have dominated most discussions.
Two key chemical components of marijuana promote the physical effects one encounters
with the substance. Tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly known as THC, is the chemical
responsible for the many of these commonalities. THC consumption frequently equates to a
heightened appetite and a general euphoria. On top of THC, cannabidiol, or CBN, acts as a
sedative and provides the pain-relieving effects.4 While these effects represent quality
medicinal and even potential recreational purposes, many individuals simply neglect the,
although rare, negative side effects and claim that these effects are not actually impairing.
Failing to see the inconsistency and impairment surrounding marijuana use may mislead
someone to believe that driving under the influence of marijuana is acceptable.
For example, according to the American Heart Associations research, marijuana
raises heart rate by up to 40 extra beats per minute immediately after its consumption.
With this extra stress on the body, heart attacks are 4.5 times more likely in a person one
hour after consuming marijuana. Not only does it raise heart rate, it can drop blood
pressure at the same time which significantly contributes to a lack of coordination and
dizziness.4 If someone chooses to use marijuana, their potential to suffer a heart attack or
faint is significantly higher. If this occurs in their own home, the situation is unfortunate
but victimless besides their personal distress. The euphoria may outweigh the potential
health to that person, but if they are operating a motor vehicle when in this state, they are
putting fellow Americans at risk. One cannot control when they will have a heart attack or
faint, but operating a motor vehicle when his or her chances are considerably heightened is
putting oneself and others at risk.
While these occurrences of heart attacks and passing out at the wheel are a
legitimate concern to the public, ultimately they are rare compared to the frequent times
that an intoxicated individual simply drives without a major episode. Even without one of
those incidences, the risks of driving are still significantly elevated. Marijuana is known to
alter both coordination and perception. Many research studies have brought about such
conclusions, and a prime example comes from a Dr. Anthony Liguori and his work with
colleagues at the University of Wake Forest. In their study, ten marijuana users smoked a
marijuana cigarette and performed several tests. By random chance, each received a
placebo cigarette, a 1.77% THC cigarette, or a 3.74% THC cigarette. Following this, they
were asked to stand on a platform to be monitored as they looked at a variety of simulated
landscapes. Although the placebo and low dose THC user showed similar results, the
higher-dosed THC cigarette showed statistically significant increases in sway and
movement.5 If a high individual is struggling with such a simple task of balance, the
repercussions of operating a motor vehicle seem fairly blatant.

Marijuana and Driving 3

Not only is the physical coordination at question when a subject is under the
influence of marijuana, their mental capacity is impaired as well. The effect on the body
which provides the desirable pain relief fuels this major obstacle. Due to its hallucinogenic
and sedative properties, marijuana alters ones perception of reality and decreases ones
ability to focus. In the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, researchers
from the University of California discussed exactly this in their compilation of multiple
studies. Collectively, five individuals with either Ph.D. or M.D. credentials searched for
information that would better their understanding of marijuanas cognitive effects. After an
extensive exploration of dependable databases such as HealthSTAR and PsychInfo, they
gathered 38 studies which they found to be both reliable and relevant. With a variety of
focuses from language to perception, they had to take the experiments, find parallel
scenarios, and statistically standardize the results of each into its given category. Many of
these findings hold direct implications toward the driving setting. For instance, individuals
under the influence were, on average, below baseline in basic attention skills. The
compilation also expressed a lack of abstraction
and execution by individuals impaired by
marijuana.6 Any time an individual is behind the
wheel, attention is essential. One must pay close
attention as they scan for a tiny pair of feet
stumbling out from behind a parked car or for a
deer coming over a valley with a child in the
backseat. Not only must they consistently remain
in tune to details, they must quickly respond to
situations. Understanding a given situation
quickly while driving requires abstraction, and
reacting in that instant requires execution. This
Source: Grant, Igor, Raul Gonzalez, Catherine L. Carey, Loki Natarajan, and compilation of studies clearly illustrated the
Tanya Wolfson, "Non-acute (residual) Neurocognitive Effects of Cannabis
Use: A Meta-analytic Study," Journal of the International Neuropsychological impairing effects of marijuana.
Society, 2003, 684. LionSearch.

While this variety of studies strongly suggested that marijuana use would
significantly cause impairment, driving simulation experiments further cemented these
results by providing real life applications. In these driving simulations, individuals would
consume marijuana and then navigate through virtual situations intended to measure ones
ability to track the road while also controlling speed and lateral position. The National
Safety Council Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs gathered the results of nine of these
types of studies when they published a paper on this topic in 2012. At a 24mg dosage of
THC, road tracking performance began to decrease and continued to do so as levels of THC
rose higher. When given a secondary task, a threshold of only 13mg was required to impair
road tracking abilities. Similar findings were present in the experiments aimed towards
fluctuations of speed and lateral position. In one study that focused on lateral position,
individuals receiving 19mg of THC fluctuated laterally by a 4cm larger standard deviation
than the placebo, and individuals receiving 38mg of THC fluctuated laterally by an even
greater 7cm standard deviation margin versus the placebo.7
With these virtual driving results, THCs effect on driving is evident. In the road
tracking simulation, the THC threshold to impairment was very low when taxed with a

Marijuana and Driving

second task. In a world of technology, the radio, the windows, and the notorious cellphones
are common distractions. Rarely do individuals focus solely on driving, and with very little
THC in ones system, the ability to successfully divide attention behind the wheel and
staying on the road is simply not there. In the lateral movement cases, shortcomings of
impaired drivers presented themselves as well. Their standard deviations of only four and
seven centimeters may seem insignificant, but when operating a vehicle, the margin
between life and death is smaller than one may think. This very morning, an oblivious
mother probably drove past an oncoming individual under the influence of marijuana as
she took her child to school. If the impaired individuals 7cm lateral slide had been to the
left rather the right around that bend, a family could have been devastated. After seeing
this scientific backing, one who desires legal marijuana for medicinal or even recreational
purposes must realize that the public is subject to an unfair risk if driving while under the
influence of marijuana is not curbed.
IS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MARIJUANA PREVENTABLE?
As with any developing problem, one should begin with proactive measures. As the
culture shifts towards allowing marijuana use, culture must also shift away from driving
while under the influence of the substance, and education must be the basis for the second
phase of this shift. With marijuana initially becoming legal for medicinally purposes, many
of the youth have begun to relate marijuana to medicine. Although it offers medicinal
benefits, driving under the influence of marijuana is far different than driving under the
influence of ibuprofen. Before marijuana can attach itself to the word medicine, teachers
must ensure that it is still looked upon as a drug from a young age. While it is a drug, they
should also be taught how to properly consume it as one is taught with alcohol. Students
should be taught about the drug and its effects rather than just told to avoid it. Moderation
must be promoted, and most importantly, students should be warned of the dangers of
driving while under the influence of marijuana. Starting in grade school, teachers preach
not to drink and drive, and in many cases, this consistent reinforcement holds its own in
the back of a drunk 19 year olds thoughts. Moving forward, this mindset needs to be
administered in the same exact way with marijuana.
While education is one proactive measure, another stems from the culture that will
grow alongside marijuana. As marijuana consumption grows and as it becomes legal, the
United States have a lot of power in its administration. The government can create a variety
of conditions such as where one can smoke and how much one can buy. One key aspect that
the United States must avoid is a bar scene for marijuana. When one goes out on the
weekends to drink alcohol, they often leave their home or immediate neighborhood to go to
a bar. Leaving ones home to drink promotes drunk driving. If one leaves, then that
individual has to get home somehow. If smoking marijuana becomes that much of a
commonplace, bar type areas should not be allowed as to decrease the frequency of high
driving.
While proactive measures may be cost effective and easy, overtime, they will likely
prove somewhat insufficient. When one only feels responsible for safety and has no fear for
his or her monetary future, then his or her likeliness to make the intelligent decision not to
drive under the influence of marijuana will be rather low. Money tends to be the ultimate

Marijuana and Driving 5

motive in most cases today. If one fears fines or even losing the job that supports his or her
family, that person will be far less likely to drive in that altered state. For this reason, the
policies surrounding marijuana and driving must be stringent.
Today, there are several ways that law enforcement officers limit the use of
marijuana while driving, and most of these laws vary from state to state. Furthermore, the
ineffectiveness of several methods causes the rare prosecution of DWIs in drivers under
the influence of marijuana. According to Monica Stein, who received her J.D. from
University of Californias Hastings College of Law, the most basic method which is primarily
enforced, is only effective for an individual who smokes marijuana in his or her car. If an
individual gets pulled over and an officer suspects use due to smell, then the car will be
searched, and if marijuana is found, the individual will be charged with possession and a
DWI. Besides this concrete method, DWIs due to marijuana influence are rarely
administered. In certain states, one can be charged based on red eyes and behavior alone.
In some cases, there is a per se clause regarding marijuana use. Per se implies a zero
tolerance and that any individual who fails a drug test after being pulled over can be
charged even if the use was not recent.8
Unfortunately, the viability of these drug tests, due to marijuanas properties and
the tests inability to accurately state when a given individual was actually under the
influence, is extremely low. A group of international researchers aimed to resolve this is in
their research report, Developing limits for driving under cannabis. They first disregarded
urine tests as THC is generally detectable for around 30 days following its consumption due
to its solubility in fat. From there, the researchers focused on the potential of blood tests.
Worldwide, they worked to find an optimal amount of THC in the blood which would prove
recent use, in the past four to six hours, where driving impairment would have been a
factor. However, THC can remain in the blood for up to 48 hours following its use leaving
this option as one that is still rather unviable.9
While these blood and urine tests lack in terms of timeliness and accuracy, anything
is possible in our age of technology with investments of time and money, and in order to
effectively administer punishments, a tangible way to discover current marijuana
intoxication is necessary. According to a book titled, Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone
Needs to Know, Australia has begun to sample saliva for THC concentration. It seems that it
is still not entirely effective or accurate for current use, but it does narrow use down to a
period of several hours.10 Overtime, the potential for a mechanism such as this one may be
there. Today, only four states allow recreational marijuana use. It will take a substantial
amount of time for this policy to spread nationwide. Rather than waiting for a similar or
even more effective test to become a commonality elsewhere, the United States
government must be the one to seek out a solution. In the few states that sell marijuana as a
new product, a substantial sum of additional tax revenue is present. With these increases in
revenue, a considerable percentage should be required to go towards research of this
saliva-testing product or similar outlets. In five years, with crucial investment, it is likely
that the product could be foolproof and administering punishments to individuals who
choose to drive while under the influence of marijuana. Most importantly, that device could
be warding away high drivers and saving sober lives.

Marijuana and Driving

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