Evaluation of Field Sobriety Tests for Identifying Drivers Under the Influence of Marijuana

dwkl · December 5, 2023

This randomized clinical trial investigates the accuracy of field sobriety tests administered by law enforcement officers to assess functional impairment and driving performance among individuals who have smoked cannabis.

Question

How accurate are field sobriety tests (FSTs) in identifying acute Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) impairment?

Findings

In this randomized clinical trial of 184 cannabis users randomized to THC or placebo, law enforcement officers classified 81.0% and 49.2%, respectively, as FST impaired, and officers suspected that 99.2% of FST-impaired participants received THC. Driving simulator performance was associated with select FSTs.

Meaning

In this study, FSTs differentiated between THC- and placebo-exposed participants; however, the substantial overlap of FST impairment between groups and the high frequency at which FST impairment was suspected to be due to THC suggest that absent other indicators, FSTs alone may be insufficient to identify THC-specific driving impairment.

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If you are interested in learning more detail about this evaluation go here to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Meanwhile… until they figure it out, if you get a DUI for being under the influence of cannabis you will need an experienced attorney to fight for you in the court system. If you want to fight call Komorn Law. If you don’t, well then settle for what they dish out and accept that you can’t go back and change the outcome.