Surf Coast to drive cannabis road impairment study

THE Victorian government has begun its highly anticipated medicinal cannabis road trial, with the Surf Coast set to provide the trial’s regional off-road track.

Conducted by Swinburne University of Technology and backed by an almost $5 million investment from the state government, the trial, which starts this month, will investigate the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive compound in cannabis – on driving performance and how this translates to risk on the road.

Over the next 18 months, about 70 medicinal cannabis users will take part in the trial, driving across closed-circuit driving tracks in both Melbourne and regional Victoria.

These tracks are located away from public roads and simulate real-world driving conditions, with the regional component of the trial to be held at the Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC) in Wensleydale, a small rural township near Anglesea.

The AARC advertises itself as the largest privately-owned automotive testing facility in Australia and has a long history of working with automotive businesses, such as Volvo, Toyota and Isuzu Motors, to test and evaluate vehicles across the facility’s many test roads and surfaces.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne said the trial was a “world first” that would help policymakers gain a greater understanding of the effects of medicinal cannabis on driving.

 

 

The trial will test participants’ ability to manage distractions, along with their steering, braking and speed control, and include impairment screenings both before and after driving assessments.

All drivers will be accompanied by a qualified driving instructor during each phase of the trial, who will have access to dual controls to take control of the vehicle if required.

In 2016, Victoria began the first state to legalise medicinal cannabis and, according to the state government, in the past two years usage has increased by 700 per cent.

However, to date, limited research has been undertaken globally to understand the impact of THC on driving and it remains illegal for Victorians to operate a vehicle with any detectable amount in their system.

This presents several challenges for medicinal cannabis users, as THC can remain in a person’s system for several days after they take their prescribed medicine.

Professor Luke Downey, lead researcher of Swinburne’s drugs and driving research unit, said: “We’ve made significant strides in the articulation of our research vehicles, which are specifically designed to assess driving performance in real-world conditions.”

For more information, head to swinburne.edu.au/research