UCSD seeks test for drivers high on pot
Researchers at UC San Diego plan to use driving simulators to study people's behavior while they're high on marijuana and formulate sobriety tests. The study was prompted by the possibility that voters will approve recreational use of pot in November. Ref. Source 8o.
Stanford engineers develop ‘potalyzer’ test
With Californian preparing to vote in November whether to legalize marijuana, Stanford University researchers are perfecting a “potalyzer” that can detect whether a driver is under the influence of pot. Police would use a cotton swab to take a saliva sample. Ref. Source 1y.
Lawmakers: Bill may ban driving while smoking pot
Even if Californians think it's illegal to smoke marijuana while driving, there's no specific state law that bans the practice. Two lawmakers want to change that and plan to introduce a bill to close the loophole next week. Ref. Source 2g.
Breaking research could help to combat rise in drivers impaired by edible marijuana consumption
Though marijuana edibles are becoming increasingly common, scant information exists on how to test drivers for impairment following their consumption. For the first time, research evaluates the performance of roadside saliva tests for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) following consumption of edibles, showing that lower THC cutoff points are needed for these tests to effectively detect marijuana ingestion. Ref. Source 7u.
Mixing booze, pot is a serious threat to traffic safety. Use of marijuana in combination with alcohol by drivers is especially dangerous, according to a study. Drivers who used alcohol, marijuana, or both were significantly more likely to be responsible for causing fatal two-vehicle crashes compared to drivers who were involved in the same crashes but used neither of the substances. Source 4k.
Worrisome statistics around medical cannabis users operating vehicles. More than half of people who take medical cannabis for chronic pain say they've driven under the influence of cannabis within two hours of using it, at least once in the last six months, according to a new survey. One in five of them said they'd driven while 'very high' in the past six months. Source 4a.