CANNABIS AND ROAD SAFETY: AN OUTLINE OF THE RESEARCH STUDIES TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF CANNABIS ON DRIVING SKILLS AND ON ACTUAL DRIVING PERFORMANCE

Dr G.B. Chesher

Department of Pharmacology University of Sydney and National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre University of New South Wales.

Dr Chesher provides an extensive coverage of the latest Australian and overseas research on the impairing effects on driving of cannabis, particularly relative to those of alcohol.

Contents:

1. Executive summary

2. Introduction

• 2.1 Pharmacology and pharmacokinetics
• 2.2 Behavioural pharmacology and psychology

3. Studies using the techniques of epidemiology

• 3.1 Pharmacology and pharmacokinetics
• 3.2 Pharmacokinetics

4. A comparison of the effects of alcohol and cannabis on skill performance and driving skills

• 4.1 Laboratory tests
• 4.2 Duration of cannabis-induced impairment in laboratory tests
• 4.3 The effect on laboratory tasks of alcohol and cannabis in combination
• 4.4 Driving simulators
• 4.5 On-road driving

5. Epidemiology

• 5.1 Questionnaire based surveys
• 5.2 Incidence of drug detection in crash involved drivers
• 5.3 Attempts to assess whether or not the driver who has detectable drugs in the blood stream was culpable in the accident

6. The use of 'Responsibility Analysis' or estimation of 'culpability' to determine the role of drugs in crashes

7. Alcohol and cannabis in epidemiological studies

8. Summary (of the evidence presented above)