Driving while intoxicated with cannabis is risky for a number of reasons, and being aware of the hazards is crucial to making wise choices. Cannabis affects the part of the brain that regulates balance, coordination, memory, judgment, and your body’s motion.
Essentially, cannabis impairs the essential skills you need for safe driving. Read on to find out why you need to keep off the steering wheel when you’re high on cannabis.
How Cannabis Affects your Driving
These are some reasons why you should not drive after consuming cannabis.
Slow Judgment and Reaction Time
- When driving, a slight lag in responding to a traffic situation can result in an accident.
- Cannabis has verifiable effects that slow down response time in crucial situations. According to studies, cannabis affects several vital functions that result in impaired driving.
- Cannabis has an impact on cognitive processes like focus, decision-making, and reaction time.
Impaired Coordination
- Cannabis affects the brain’s motor control regions, especially those in charge of timing, movement, and reaction, which makes it harder to coordinate when driving.
- THC, the main ingredient, slows down neuronal communication by interacting with the brain’s endocannabinoid system.
- This results in poor coordination and difficulties in multitasking, which is essential when driving.
Distorted Perception
- Cannabis can warp your perception by altering how the brain interprets sensory data.
- The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC, has an impact on the endocannabinoid system of the brain in charge of time perception, vision, and spatial awareness.
- It can skew your sense of distance and time, making it hard to determine how fast or how far away other automobiles are. This may cause errors in judgment that result in crashes.
Higher Risk of Accidents
- Studies show that cannabis use increases a driver’s propensity for weaving between lanes, driving at irregular speeds, and reacting inappropriately to unexpected situations.
- These actions significantly increase the likelihood of accidents.
Unpredictable Effects
- The effects of cannabis differ according to a person’s mental state, dosage, and tolerance.
- After consuming cannabis, your ability to drive safely is greatly compromised, regardless of how you feel.
Be a Smart Driver
Contrary to misconceptions, driving under the influence of cannabis is dangerous. So, if you smoke or ingest cannabis in any form, do the following:
- Get a designated driver or hail a cab.
- Have a trusted friend or relative chauffeur you to your destination.
Final Thoughts
Cannabis is among the many substances that can impair your driving. The effects of cannabis can last for up to 12 hours, depending on tolerance and whether it was smoked or ingested. If you plan to drive, don’t use cannabis, as you pose a risk to yourself and other motorists.