New Australian Study Suggests CBD Doesn’t Affect Driving Skills

Even though CBD is non-intoxicating, some users have concerns about using hemp extracts before hitting the road. Sure, CBD isn’t psychoactive, but could it make people too “spacey” to drive safely? After all, many people take CBD products to help them fall asleep. Wouldn’t CBD oils make drivers extra drowsy?

Well, according to recent data from the University of Sydney, even mega-doses of CBD oil don’t seem to hurt a healthy adult’s driving skills. Although researchers claim it’s too early to know how CBD affects motor function, this new finding adds to data suggesting CBD may be safe to take before driving.

What Did Sydney’s Scientists Discover About CBD & Driving?

Interestingly, this new study on using CBD while driving follows previous research at the University of Sydney. In the earlier study, researchers gave a few adults CBD vape pens and then asked them to drive in a virtual simulator. In this initial report, study authors concluded vaping CBD didn’t increase a driver’s lane weaving.

The University of Sydney’s more recent trial measured various other aspects of driving ability in the same simulator. In addition to reviewing driving performance at different times and in different simulations, researchers surveyed every participant and tested their mental acuity.

To better understand CBD’s effect on driving, scientists gave participants 15 mg, 300 mg, or 1,500 mg of CBD before they tried the driving simulator. There was also one group that took a placebo supplement to help control the results.

Researchers said they could find CBD in blood samples of those who took the 1,500 mg doses weeks after this trial. Despite this, they couldn’t claim the high dose of CBD had a bad effect on driving. In the concluding notes of this research paper, study actors suggested even high amounts of CBD oil don’t seem to hinder a person’s driving ability versus a placebo.

Sydney’s Study Builds On CBD Driving Research

Since CBD has become so popular in Western nations, a few other institutions have begun researching its effect on driving safety. Most significantly, professors in The Netherlands’ Maastricht University examined the effects of various cannabinoids on driving performance.

A significant difference in the Maastricht trial was the inclusion of THC-containing products. Some participants vaped cannabis strains with either high THC concentrations or a mix of THC and CBD. A third group used CBD-heavy strains, while the fourth took a placebo.

Scientists discovered those in the CBD and placebo groups didn’t have statistically significant lane-weaving. However, people who vaped THC or THC/CBD flowers had greater difficulty staying in their lane.

This data strongly suggests CBD is generally safe for healthy adults to take before driving. However, remember that these findings are preliminary, so CBD users should still exercise caution — especially if they don’t know how their body responds to CBD extracts.

Does This Mean CBD Is Safe Before Driving? — A Few Closing Thoughts

The results from Sydney and Maastricht strongly suggest CBD doesn’t impair motor function like delta-9 THC. However, customers must remember CBD can induce undesirable side effects like drowsiness and fatigue. Doctors also caution that CBD can interact with other medications and produce extreme side effects.

New customers must get a doctor’s approval before using any hemp-derived CBD extract, especially if they already take medications. It’s also crucial to first test CBD at home when you have plenty of time to relax. Please start with low amounts of CBD oil and keep tabs on how it affects you in a dosage journal. If you discover CBD makes you feel slightly sleepy, please never use it before driving.

Lastly, customers need to pay attention to the quality of their CBD oil. While pure CBD doesn’t appear to affect most adults’ driving performance, there are a lot of low-quality CBD oils on the market that have toxic secondary compounds. There may also be “hemp-derived” CBD products with excessive delta-9 THC concentrations.

Please always request a third-party lab report when buying CBD oil online or in a hemp shop. You can also check out Real Tested CBD’s latest picks for the best CBD oils to find the most reputable lab-tested hemp brands in the industry.