Dangerous driving link to heavy drug users
Running red lights and driving at high speeds. Crossing center lines into the other lanes, getting into accidents and even hitting pedestrians. A new study found these were some of the dangerous driving behaviors of regular, heavy users. (4 or 5 times per week) of recreational weed who began using before the age of 16.
Here’s the catch: users drove this badly even when they were no longer “high”.
At the time of driving experience, the marijuana group had not used for at least 12 hrs.
Despite having little THC in their system, heavy users consistently performed worse on driving tasks than non-users. This can result in them making critical, dangerous mistakes. And when they looked at the cannabis users & separated those into early (before age 16) versus later onset of use, almost exclusively these differences between the 2 groups were attributed to the early onset group.
Research has consistently shown that early substance use, including the use of cannabis, is associated with poorer cognitive performance – specifically tasks controlled by the most frontal part of the brain. That’s also the part that controls our impulses, a major factor in appropriate behavior choices.
Workplace Drug & Alcohol Testing
And it’s not just driving. The same safety issues are seen in the workplace alongside other negative effects.
See this article for more information on testing your drivers, not just for drugs but also alcohol. 4 Reasons To Carry Out Random Drug & Alcohol Testing In the Workplace
#itstestkits #drugtesting