A first study on the effects of dabbing on driving

Researchers at two Colorado universities are to conduct the first study on the effects of cannabis concentrates on driving.

The cannabis concentrates, Also known as dab, wax, shatter or BHO, depending on the texture or extraction method used, are not very well known in France, but Americans are increasingly moving away from combustion (joints) towards healthier consumption methods such as vaporization or dab.

«Users are becoming very high, very quickly,» explains Brian Tracy, a researcher at Colorado State University, in a press release «It's almost instantaneous, and the effects are very strong.

Very little research has been carried out to date on the effects of dabbing. Here, the study plans to provide details on the impact of dabbing on driving ability.

Rather than bringing the study participants into a lab, the experiment will move into the participants' homes. Their usual drinking environment will remain unchanged. The researchers will then put them through a series of driving and reflex tests, such as accelerating and then braking hard to see how quickly their legs react.

The effects of cannabis on driving are fairly well known. In France, cannabis consumption multiplies the risk of having an accident by 1.6. The subject, which is only criminal within our borders, raises more questions in countries where cannabis is legalized. The difficulty of having a «Cannabis »breathalyzer that can actually tell whether a person is under the influence of cannabis, and not just whether they consumed it the day before, is a real problem for the authorities. Potentially, part of the population is cannabis-positive at the wheel without experiencing the effects of cannabis.

The project will last 3 years and has been funded by a grant of over 800000$ from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.