INVESTIGATING IMPAIRMENT

“Unlike alcohol, you simply cannot infer whether someone is affected by THC, or how affected they are, based simply on the amount of THC they have in their system. It’s ridiculous to impose sanctions on someone just because they have some amount of THC or a THC metabolite in their body that exceeds an arbitrary threshold.”
-Dr. Thomas R. Arkell, pharmacologist

According to a new meta-analysis, most acute impairment caused by inhaled THC subsides within hours. Researchers based at the University of Sydney put the “stopwatch” on THC impairment—a defined timeframe which could be quite useful when establishing rules in athletics, the workplace or laws while driving. Meanwhile, THC metabolites can linger within the body for weeks—sometimes even months—after use and ruin the career of working professionals or athletes who are otherwise worthy.

It brings up serious questions about how logical it is to test athletes and drivers based on THC metabolites, considering that they could have consumed cannabis weeks or months ago. The research on the topic has been stacking up quickly, thanks in part