Older drivers, even if they use cannabis regularly, had impaired driving as a result of consuming it, a new study finds.
The study released Thursday in JAME Network Open included data from 31 people who said they regularly used cannabis. A total of 25 participants used it recreationally, one person used cannabis medically, and five used it for both purposes. All of the participants were between the ages of 65 and 79; 21 were men, and the mean age was 68.7 years old.
The legal cannabis contained tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive component in the plant. Most people chose cannabis with a mean of 18.74% THC and 1.46% cannabidiol (CBD). The mean potency of the cannabis people chose was a higher potency than previously studied, the researchers noted.
After 30 minutes of smoking the cannabis, people weaved more and lowered their speed when they were driving on a simulator. The participants reported they were impaired at three hours after using cannabis; at that time, they didn’t weave more or lower speed, though.
“The present study provides an ecologically valid demonstration that cannabis can impair driving in older adults when they smoke their usual product. Consistent with emerging data, blood THC level was not correlated with driving behavior. Older drivers should refrain from using cannabis when contemplating operation of a motor vehicle,” the authors wrote.
The news comes after a report out last year found that 12% of older adults say they’ve consumed a substance that contained THC in the past year. That data was derived from people ages 50 through 80. Of those surveyed, 4% of people said they have substances that include THC multiple times a week. Another report evaluating older adults using cannabis found that cannabis-related emergency room visits for older adults in California increased 1,800% from 2005 to 2019.
