The Vancouver Sun published an op-ed by Stephanie Lake, a UBC PhD candidate in the school of population and public health, and M-J Milloy, a professor in UBC’s department of medicine, on the topic of zero tolerance for cannabis while driving.
B.C.’s solicitor-general recently advocated for a zero-tolerance policy meaning that driving with any THC in your bloodstream would be an offence.
“Considering all the scientific data, the evidence of a link between cannabis use and motor vehicle accidents is actually much weaker than commonly assumed,” Lake and Milloy wrote. “The acute effects of cannabis use can lead to cognitive impairments (e.g., slower reaction time) that interfere with driving ability. However, THC does not produce the same disinhibiting effects as alcohol, so it is less clear whether people are getting behind the wheel impaired and crashing at a higher rate than unimpaired individuals.”
