cannabis and motor skills
Last reviewed 01/2018
Cannabis and motor skills
- cannabis can affect motor control - cannabis
also impairs balance, tracking ability, hand-eye co-ordination, reaction time
and physical strength
- with respect to driving, there is evidence that cannabis use increases accident risk (1)
- even a very low dose e.g. 20mg
of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can cause driving skills to deteriorate,
and a single joint may deliver as much as 300mg of THC
- THC is fat-soluble
and therefore persists in the body far longer than alcohol - therefore the effects
on motor function and co-ordination are persistent
- airline pilots who were tested after a small dose of 20mg of THC could not land their planes properly on flight simulators, even 24 hours after ingestion - the majority of the pilots were unaware that they had any problems.
- THC is fat-soluble
and therefore persists in the body far longer than alcohol - therefore the effects
on motor function and co-ordination are persistent
- therefore the message relating to cannabis use and motor skills (e.g. driving, flying) is clear — a joint today then do not drive tomorrow
- adverse effects of even a low dose of cannabis combined with alcohol were markedly greater than for either drug alone.
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