Marijuana has become legal in several states for both medical and recreational purposes. Medical conditions, including HIV/AIDS cachexia, chemotherapy, nausea/vomiting, neuropathic pain, and spasticity in multiple sclerosis. Although medicinal marijuana legalization is significant, marijuana use harms driving ability.
“The legalization of marijuana in several states means that people will have greater access to the product. However, it is vital to understand the impact of legalization on people and the differences between each state,” says criminal defense attorney Brian Leifert.
Marijuana’s Effect on the Mind and Body
Marijuana contains compounds that can alter the mind and affect the brain and the body. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as the primary psychoactive component in marijuana, can generate a euphoric experience in the individual. THC and other compounds in marijuana move from the lungs into the bloodstream, where they are quickly transported throughout the body to the brain.
The effect of marijuana is almost instant, users can feel high in seconds or minutes. When people smoke marijuana, the THC in the plant releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which causes many people to feel euphoric and calm. Other common side effects of marijuana use include:
• Heightened sensory awareness
• Making the person see bright colors
• Excessive laughter
• An altered perception of time
• Increased appetite
Apart from the positive aspects of marijuana, there are also negative aspects and side effects when you consume too much of it. Anxiety, worry, distrust, and even panic are notable adverse outcomes. Others who have consumed significant amounts of marijuana may develop psychosis characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of personal identity.
Although medical examination can detect traces of THC quantities in the body for days or even weeks after usage, the impact of smoking marijuana lasts one to three hours, depending on the strength effects can last longer.
What Effect Does Marijuana Have on Drivers?
Being intoxicated while handling the steering reduces the brain’s capacity to operate normally. The primary active component in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), affects brain parts that control body movements, balance, coordination, memory, and judgment.
It is risky to drive when under the influence of marijuana. Marijuana, like alcohol, impairs a variety of skills required for safe driving; it can slow reaction time and impair decision-making ability. It can also impair coordination, distort perception, cause memory loss, and make problem-solving harder.
The Legalization of Marijuana will Increase Car Accidents
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and nearly every researcher have expressed worry about the statistics on marijuana-impaired driving. Marijuana can be detected in a person’s system for days or weeks, posing an issue with accurate statistics due to testing processes.
Unlike roadside tests for blood alcohol levels, modern marijuana tests can detect traces of marijuana even if the driver was not affected by the effect at the time of the car accident. The tests will still show positive even if they smoked the day before or earlier.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many chemicals in a person’s system make it complex to determine which substance contributed more to the car accident. Furthermore, drivers are not always checked for drugs, especially if they already have an illegal blood alcohol content level; this is sufficient proof for a charge of driving while impaired. All these factors make it impossible to say if marijuana plays a significant role in the rise in car accidents when marijuana is made legal in a country.
Ways of Controlling the Intake of Marijuana for Drivers
THC levels in the blood usually peak at roughly 100 ng/MLafter 15 minutes of marijuana use. Within four hours of smoking, the levels drop to less than 2ng/ML. After eight hours of taking edible THC, the levels drop to a similar low concentration.
Based on these findings, people are advised not to drive for at least four hours after smoking marijuana and eight hours after consuming edibles. This suggestion is to allow the effects of the marijuana to wear off before handling the steering wheel.
In addition, when marijuana is combined with alcohol, the danger of a car accident increases dramatically, even more than when marijuana is used alone. Hence, drivers are advised to avoid the combination of marijuana and alcohol intake while driving for their own and other drivers’ safety.
Final Thoughts
Though numerous factors make evaluating whether marijuana plays a significant part in the rise in car accidents hard, the fact remains that driving while intoxicated, including marijuana consumption, can lead to car accidents. Knowing that marijuana impairs judgment, motor coordination, and response time, acute ingestion causes drivers to become high, resulting in high driving and an increased risk of car accidents.
It is also important to devise ways of implementing legalization while avoiding negative repercussions.
