The highs – and lows – of driving stoned

Rorisang Kgosana

Since the legalisation of private cannabis use and cultivation in 2018, the Constitutional Court ruling did not consider the apparent increase of stoned drivers, which pose danger to the roads.

Effects of consuming cannabis include impairment, delayed reaction and a shorter concentration span, which could lead to twice the chance of a road accident.

Rhys Evans, the managing director of a drug and alcohol testing equipment company, says they have seen an increase in the supply of saliva-testing kits to companies since the ruling.

Companies have also reported an increase in positive saliva tests, which can detect cannabis use within two to eight hours.

“An increase in positive tests reported by companies could mean there is an increased number of drivers as they are tested at work,” Evans said. “For road safety, this is bad because there is nothing to curb the use of drug-driving.”

Smoking one joint doubles the chances of an accident as stoned drivers struggle to concentrate for longer distances or experience fatigue and sleepiness.

“It is not as dangerous for short-distance driving as it is for people driving long-distance. We see a lot of truck drivers or fleet drivers using cannabis to keep them entertained while driving.”

Even driving while trying to operate the car radio could be hazardous as “high” drivers might focus on the task rather than concentrating on the road.

Since there is a high, there is also a come-down, which leads to fatigue, sleepiness and being too tired to concentrate, Evans said.

Government should implement a legal limit and allow law enforcement to test those limits.

According to a Driving Under the Influence of Drugs study, 29.4% of blood tests taken in fatal accidents in the UK between 2004 and 2007 tested positive for cannabis. A total of 20% tested positive for more than one drug at the same time.