Cannabis nowadays isn’t just smoked. It is also manufactured in various products. Thus there are CBD products that you can purchase, especially in states and countries where cannabis is legal. Since this is legal in many countries, does CBD and driving can go together? 

Now that there are tons of products that you can purchase like edibles, essential oils, and concentrates that are used for various purposes, CBD can be used in almost all situations. People even go out after using CBD and drive your car. From recreation to alleviating pains in the body. 

However, the government, especially the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, has already issued a stern warning for everyone that not all effects in cannabis, especially its chemical, CBD is not all useful or beneficial. This goes especially to people who are driving and under the influence of CBD.

However, in the U.S, CBD is the one that is highly used and manufactured than THC. Thus it is associated with bad driving for many reasons. However, there is still no solid proof of the effects of CBD in bad driving. 

Can CBD and Driving Hazardous? 

There is a growing concern about the effects of CBD regarding the driving performance of a person, even though there is no direct impact on it. Instead, the care can go back to its proposed mild sedating effects of the CBD product that the person used. 

The effect has to do with the anecdotal support wherein about 10-percent of Americans reported that they tried CBD to improve the quality of their sleep based on a study in 2019. CBD indeed contains sedating effects that calm both the mind and body as what scientific studies found out, especially in higher doses. 

CBD and other drugs that are used to sedate have major differences, with the former, only promotes calming effects and not entirely sedation. However, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is still very concerned about drug-induced sleepy driving that already caused a lot of road accidents. There are already 800 people who died in the US because of sleepy driving in 2017 alone, while the CDC tallied 72,000 injuries related to this incident since 2013. This is based on a report from the National Highway Traffic Association in the US. 

Is it Safe to Drive While on CBD? 

It is legal to drive while you use CBD. It is also legal to drive when you’re using CBD that comes with a small amount of THC. There is a specific law for that which covers alcohol and drugs decree in traffic that gives you a limited amount to the content of THC. All other forms of CBDs that are edible and manufactured are still legal to be used while driving. 

However, the limit value or the THC concentration from the blood sample extracted from you must be 3.0 micrograms/liter, and way beyond that is already against the law. If you are using a manufactured CBD edible, there is no way that you can reach for that limit since CBD products contain very small amounts of THC and, most of the time, nothing at all. So, you have to use only CBD products that do not contain THC when you are planning to drive. 

How to Determine People Who are Driving on CBD? 

The most common way law enforcers determine people who use CBD while driving is through testing your saliva sample. This also determines the amount of THC present in the driver’s system. The device that is used for the saliva test can detect THC as small as 15 nanograms. Since it can detect THC, law enforcers require you to get a blood test at their station. 

However, there is nothing to worry about it since the police themselves said that using saliva sample to be tested is only used if it is direly needed wherein, they have a serious suspicion of the driver who is driving under the influence narcotics or alcohol. If you’re just using CBD while driving, there is a little chance that you will be brought to the police station. 

What happens if you are taken to the police station to get a blood sample? Just like what is mentioned above, if you are only using CBD products, you are completely safe. This is because, according to the law, they have to extract 0.3 micrograms of THC per liter of your blood. All of CBD products contain less than 0.3 micrograms of THC, and most of the time, there’s nothing to it all. 

Nevertheless, being taken to a police station is still an uncomfortable situation. However, what if you are driving while you used CBD products that have to contain a high THC level? This is where the problem comes in. For sure, you will get arrested, even if you have not used THC for quite some time already. 

This is because THC is pretty hard to flush out of your system. Most of the time, it is deposited in the form of fatty tissue, making it possible that your body’s THC level is increased. One of the main problems of cannabis users is flushing out THC from their system, which gets them busted whenever they apply for jobs in places where weed is not entirely legal. 

So, if you’re a heavy cannabis user that prefers to smoke or use a strain that contains high levels of THC, even for several months, then you will surely be apprehended if ever luck finds a way that a police officer stops you at the side of the road. 

Does Driving with CBD a Bad Idea? 

No, it is not because aside from being allowed to get behind the wheel even if you used CBD, there is no way that it can affect your driving ability while on the road. It cannot influence your energy, your judgment, and your alertness on the road. You are technically sober while you’re driving on CBD. Also, having a minimal dose of THC on your CBD products will not get you stoned completely and has no negative effects at all that can disrupt your skills in driving.

However, once you’re starting to consume cannabis products with THC levels that are high, you will surely notice the difference because that will certainly, affect your driving ability. If you’re planning to consume products that contain THC, you should schedule it on a day where you are not going out on the road. 

Debunking Myths About Driving with CBD

CBD’s effects while driving is usually subtle. One of the most famous myths about CBD while driving is that it counteracts THC’s recognizable negative effects. Researchers have indeed suggested that CBD can help offset anxiety-inducing effects that come from THC; however, experts are concerned that this research might have been misunderstood. 

There is much misinformation on the internet regarding CBD alleviates the effects of THC, and this can be misunderstood and can be passed on to people that are not aware of this. 

This myth, however, was already debunked by experts who simulated a driving test where the driver was under the influence of THC and CBD vaporizer. During the test, 14 participants vaped around 130-milligrams has equal parts of CBD and THC. They were then tasked to simulate a driving game where they have to follow the GPS instructions on both small roads and highways. 

They found out and concluded that CBD does not help in lessening the effects of THC on the participants of the test after they swerved while driving and have reported that they felt impaired for hours after consuming the vape. 

The research suggested that CBD does not entirely reduce the intoxicating and the impairing effects of THC, especially when it comes to driving. With that in mind, it is important for everyone to be aware of this and should avoid driving if they already consumed THC. 

Therefore, using CBD to alleviate the effects of THC is not true. To stay out of trouble, it is best to consume THC while at home and wait for its effects to subside before going out to drive. 

Conclusion

Lastly, CBD is not categorized as a psychoactive substance considering that it does not cause any intoxication or can impair your driving ability. Based on different effects individually and the dosage, CBD, and driving are completely safe. 

However, cannabis is still a huge issue the world has been talking about for the past years. Because of its strict regulations, you have to be careful considering that you can face legal issues if you drive with THC, especially in countries where cannabis is not entirely legal. 

In the end, whether you are using CBD or THC, you should always be careful on the road. If you feel drowsy, park your car on the side of the road and take a nap to energize yourself. Also, check your car if it’s still in good condition.