WVU Expands Project on Driving Performance
Researchers at Western Virginia University are embarking on a groundbreaking study to investigate the potential impact of CBD on driving abilities. Previously, in our blog we wrote about the Netherlands study, which concluded that CBD does not have an intoxicating effect and does not impair driving, and about the study conducted by the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at the University of Sydney that revealed that the highest daily dose of CBD does not impact people’s ability to drive.
This study, which builds upon a 2021 pilot project with the same focus, is set to become one of the most comprehensive investigations in this field.
The initial 2021 project involved a small sample size of 34 men and women and indicated there may be a small difference between men and women taking CBD and their driving performance. The difference was not considered statistically significant, but the results did show slightly more collisions and slower brake time for those taking CBD.
Toni Rudisill, Assistant Professor in the WVU School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, said,
“In that study, we had some preliminary data that there was a little bit of difference in males’ and females’ driving performance after consuming CBD, but we didn’t have a big enough sample size to really look at it closely. We want to dive into that more to see if that relationship truly exists. This is going to be one of the largest CBD studies in terms of the number of people.”
Another reason for expanding on the pilot project is that CBD is widely available in West Virginia. The new study will involve 300 participants. The participants will be administered either 150 or 300 milligrams of CBD or a placebo and then asked to use a driving simulator, similar to the first study. The study participants drove on the simulator for 40 minutes in the pilot project. The study is considered particularly significant due to the potential of CBD to induce drowsiness, which could have serious implications for driving safety.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is funding the five-year project. Studies like these are important because they separate fact from fiction with data. CBD brands make many claims about CBD safety without data to back up those claims. Knowing if people can take CBD and still drive safely is important to the driver’s safety and the safety of others on the road. The more data collected, the better decisions CBD consumers and regulators can make.
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