NURS 1302 Assignment: Marijuana's Impact on Driving and Safety

This report investigates the detrimental effects of marijuana on driving performance and safety, supported by research from the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the Government of Canada. It highlights how marijuana impairs critical driving skills such as reaction time, motor coordination, and judgment, significantly increasing the risk of vehicle crashes. The report emphasizes that cannabis use can lead to drowsiness, reduced attention, and impaired cognitive functions, which can cause severe accidents, injuries, and fatalities. It also discusses the potential for long-term addiction and mental health issues associated with chronic marijuana use, particularly for adolescents. The report concludes by recommending that individuals avoid driving under the influence of cannabis and wait several hours after consumption before operating a vehicle.

I assert that Marijuana is an illicit drug mostly detected in the drivers’ bloods who are involved
in fatal crashes of vehicles and accidents. The risk of getting a vehicle crash increases 3 to 7
times after the use of marijuana (National Institute of Drug Abuse [NIDA], 2018). Marijuana
retards the reaction time, motor coordination and judgment impeding the ability of driving. So, it
is dangerous to drive a vehicle while being impaired by the Marijuana.
According to the Government of Canada (2019), Cannabis impedes several skills considered
necessary for driving. For example it impairs coordination, lowers the ability to pay attention,
causes drowsiness and slower reaction times. It can impair the concentration levels, decision
making, psychomotor skills and cognition resulting into severe accidents, injuries and death. It
also causes anxiety and panic. The long term intake of Cannabis may lead to addiction and
dependence, increasing the risk of mental health issues with time.
The human performance in driving and handling complex machinery can be impeded for around
24 hours after smoking 20 mg of cannabis (Doroudgar, 2018). In case, the driver is high, he
won’t be able to react immediately. It is important to avoid driving when there is cannabis in the
body system. It is recommended not to drive high and to wait around 6 hours or more post
consumption of cannabis before driving.
For adolescents, the drug is potentially harmful for the brain and may lower down the IQ level
and short term memory. The legal age for possessing Marijuana in Canada will be above 18
years (Crepault, 2018). Early use of Marijuana (before the age of 17 years) increases the
impairment in attention, concentration and motivation contributing to negative school
performance.
References

Crépault J. F. (2018). Cannabis Legalization in Canada: Reflections on Public Health and the
Governance of Legal Psychoactive Substances. Frontiers in public health, 6, 220.
doi:10.3389/fpubh.2018.00220
Doroudgar,S.(2018). Effects of Chronic Marijuana use on driving performance. Traffic Inj
Prev. 2018; 19(7): 680-686. doi: 10.1080/15389588.2018.1501800
Government of Canada (2019). Cannabis in Canada. Retrieved from
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/campaigns/cannabis/health-effects.html#a3
National Institute of Drug Abuse [NIDA], (2018). Marijuana. Retrieved from
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/does-marijuana-use-affect-
driving