Cannabis-impaired driving

Road safety above all.

Do you know all there is to know about cannabis and THC?

“Driving after smoking or ingesting cannabis is a bit like driving without your reflexes, your judgment, your concentration and your ability to determine the distance of the car in front of you.”

Nicolas Tétreault, PhD, Clinical Biochemist and Member of the Ordre des chimistes du Québec – Partner of the Foundation.

Is the high from edibles really that hard to gauge?

To find out, CAA-Quebec talked to Dr. Nicolas Tétreault, a clinical biochemist and member of Quebec’s order of chemists—a CAA-Quebec Foundation partner.

The following summarizes his answers to our questions.

Edibles are probably the most unpredictable type of cannabis product. They take longer to kick in (up to 2 hours vs. just a few minutes when smoked), which means users are more likely to misjudge the effects. That can lead people to take more or worse, get behind the wheel, believing they’re still apt to drive.

That can obviously be dangerous if someone starts feeling the effects while driving. It can make them sleepy, confused, or anxious, and also reduce their reaction time, which is crucial when you’re behind the wheel.

The Highway Safety Code is very clear on that point. There is zero tolerance for driving while high, regardless of the driver’s level of experience. Those caught breaking the rules face an immediate 90-day suspension of their driver’s licence. If you’ve taken an edible, just don’t drive!

The delay before you feel any effects isn’t the only difference between smoking and eating cannabis, as this table shows.

How it's taken	Onset	Peak	Duration
Inhaled	A few seconds to a few minutes	30 minutes	2 to 4 hours, sometimes more
Eaten	30 minutes to 2 hours	2 to 4 hours	Up to 12 hours

Obviously, it all depends on the quantity taken, the concentration, the person’s metabolism, and their general state.

Is there any way to get it out of your system faster?

No. Only your body’s metabolism can do that. You’ll need to be patient. If you smoke weed or take an edible, stay put or have a designated driver take you where you need to go.

Find out more about edibles

A quick overview of edibles

Edibles come in different forms, such as cakes, cookies, candies, capsules, and drinks. While popular, they come with their share of risks. But although the production and sale of edibles has been legal in Canada since December 2019, only a few have been greenlighted for sale in SQDC stores.

What are they made of, exactly?

There are a number of ways to make edibles. The THC concentration depends on the part of the plant used to make the edible (leaf, stem, flower, etc.) and how much is used. Knowing an edible’s THC concentration is essential. Taking too many edibles is a recipe for disaster, particularly for someone who isn’t used to the effects.

What happens, physically, when you smoke or eat cannabis?

Dr. Nicolas Tétreault sums it up well: “When you smoke cannabis, the THC gets into your bloodstream quickly, via your lungs, which can make people feel a variety of things: euphoria, relaxation, but also confusion, drowsiness, a loss of certain abilities (concentration, reactivity), and even anxiety.”

He explains that the effects are potentially the same with edibles, but they take longer to kick in, since the THC has to travel through the digestive system, including the liver (which metabolizes the THC), before it gets into the bloodstream.

If a product’s THC concentration isn’t properly indicated or controlled using a rigorous process, that edible could contain a lot more THC than the user may think, and the effects may be much stronger than anticipated.

When smoked, the effects of cannabis can still be felt even after five hours, and faculties can remain impaired for 24 hours or longer.

There’s a link between cannabis use and road accident risks.

Cannabis comes in many different forms, and they’re all incompatible with driving.

Saliva can be tested to determine if cannabis has been used recently, but it doesn’t indicate the amount or the effects.

How long does cannabis remain detectable in the body?

Are the effects of cannabis different depending on how it’s consumed?

Are the effects of cannabis the same for an 18-year-old as they are for a 45-year-old, for example?

Cannabis products today are 5 to 10 times stronger than those of the 1960s and later!

More sophisticated growing methods and crossbreeding have greatly modified the average concentration of THC, including that in hashish.

Driving high is driving impaired

25% of drivers who took drugs in the past year claimed to have driven a vehicle while under the influence.

_{Source: SAAQ}

TRUE OR FALSE? Police can tell if a driver has consumed cannabis.

True. In Canada, police officers can stop vehicles and administer roadside tests. Their methods for detecting impairment include testing devices and calling in specially trained drug recognition officers.

Combining cannabis and alcohol multiplies the risk factor for driving more than either substance taken separately.

TRUE OR FALSE? Cannabis doesn’t affect your ability to drive.

False. Driving under the influence of marijuana affects your ability to drive safely and increases the risk of getting into an accident.

Be cautious and take small amounts, especially if it’s something new for you.

Not as bad as alcohol? It’s not a contest. Cannabis reduces your ability to drive and increases the risk of being involved in an accident. That’s a scientific fact.

Cannabis and driving: everything is more dangerous!

Coordination is reduced.
Reaction times are longer.
Concentration is more difficult.
Decision-making abilities are affected.
Ability to judge distances worsens.

_{Source: Government of Canada}

Cannabis and travel: What you need to know

Canadian law is clear: it is illegal to get out of the country with cannabis, in any shape or form, regardless of the amount. It applies also to medical marijuana.
Pot is illegal in many countries. Travellers may be deemed inadmissible and subject to serious criminal penalties if caught with cannabis at the border.
Cannabis is legal in 10 US States, but remains illegal according to federal law. Consequently, it is forbidden to enter the country with the substance.
Canadian travellers who do not carry cannabis and have never committed any criminal offence related to drugs should not be worried, even if they used their credit card at the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC).
It is allowed to travel with cannabis inside Canada by either car, boat, train or airplane, but it is important to know the laws and rules in place in the visited province.
Travel insurance: The rules did not change. Insurers will refuse to cover a condition or an injury that occurs as a result of drug or alcohol use. And an insurer may refuse to compensate a traveller who runs into trouble owing to use or possession of cannabis.