CBD is a substance that manufacturers derive from cannabis or hemp. The plant has been around for quite a while now, and it provides so many medicinal benefits. Many cultures worldwide know about its therapeutic benefits, so many people use it.
Despite its high medicinal properties, many other people still believe all sorts of things about CBD. CBD is an exciting substance that has a lot of controversy surrounding it. One of the most significant controversies is that it affects your ability to drive.
Interestingly, many scientists have conducted research to get findings and data on that particular statement. That said, this article will help to explain how CBD affects your driving skills.
Here Are The Facts
In recent times since many countries worldwide have lifted the ban on cannabis and all its derivatives, millions of people have turned to cannabis as a medicinal alternative to many artificial pharmaceutical products. For example, doctors are using this herb to suppress anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders, treat epilepsy, and so on.
Although scientists have conducted multiple studies on the topic before, they only considered the effects of THC on driving. Many of their participants smoked cannabis that only contained large amounts of THC. These scientists also didn’t take the duration that they were impaired into account. They provided a lot of insight into the topic, but the report also has limitations.
To determine CBD’s effects on driving, the Lambert Initiative For Cannabinoids Therapeutics at the University of Sydney conducted a study on the subject.
This study involved administering four types of vaporized cannabis to 26 people. To make the study more accurate, they were given random dosages on four different occasions. These 25 people were then allowed to drive a car in a real-world situation. They were to drive along a 100km highway alongside a driving instructor. The car was dual control, so the instructor could step in if things got out of hand.
Dr. Pritesh Kumar, the Switzerland-based cannabis consulting firm Phytosciences, commented on the study. He said that the method of ingestion matters a lot when determining the level of impairment. From experience, the fastest way to feel the effects of CBD is by inhaling it.
Now that it’s been established that CBD does not impair driving, let’s take a look at how CBD helps to improve driving:
CBD Suppresses Anxiety
Unfortunately, many people have trouble suppressing anxiety when it comes to driving a car. Many people even get some levels of impairment when driving. Luckily, CBD is a substance that helps to reduce anxiety. A report from a few years ago states that CBD even helps reduce all forms of learned fear by disrupting fear reconsolidation and you can learn more about certo detox here.
It does this by interacting with the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is responsible for helping to regulate feelings of stress and anxiety. The CBD sends signals to the CB1 andCB2 receptors in the endocannabinoid system, which stimulates the body to produce hormones that suppress anxiety.
It Reduces Stress
Everyone at some point would feel the effects of stress. While this is normal, driving a car under stress leads to a high level of impairment. To reduce stress as much as possible, it would help if you consumed some CBD.
People tend to underestimate the effects of stress on driving. Tiredness due to stress is one of the leading causes of road accidents, causing about 1.35 million deaths each year. By consuming CBD, your stress levels would decrease, allowing you to be able to get behind the wheel and drive without any hiccups.
CBD Helps to manage pain
Lastly, CBD is a substance that helps to manage pain. There are other products you can use to manage pain, but they bring a lot of problems. In 2019, the consumption of opioids caused about 49,000 deaths.
To reduce chronic pain, many people choose opioids as a first option. That’s why opioids cause such a large amount of deaths.
That said, CBD helps manage all sorts of pain necessary to get behind the wheel. If you’re in any type of pain, it is highly recommended that you don’t try to drive. Trying to do that can increase the chances of a road accident happening.
Final Thoughts
Admittedly, scientists still need to perform a lot more research to confirm the effects of CBD on driving entirely. However, the study mentioned above clearly shows that CBD can help to improve driving, not impair. Also above are three ways CBD helps to do that. If you feel stressed or in pain, try not to get behind the wheel. Doing so can cause all sorts of problems you don’t want to experience. However, to proceed ahead with CBD, always keep your healthcare provider in the loop before integrating the use of CBD into your lifestyle.
