Even more people know CBD and it is now legal in many countries, it is still new in many scenes. For example: driving. Recent days, whether driver can use CBD became a hot thing. As most of family have cars, if they are CBD users at the same time, what should we do to balance those two things?

What’s the effect of CBD?

Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is one of over 100 natural cannabinoids found in hemp, or the Cannabis sativa plant. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which gives the plant its intoxicating properties, CBD is non-psychoactive and cannot get you high.

CBD is famous for many benefits. It’s about half of CBD users do so to help them sleep according to many polls, and about a third find that it allows them to unwind. Even clinical research into CBD suggests that it could be used to alleviate anxiety, reduce pain and inflammation, as well as help manage countless other mental and physical health conditions.

What Does This Mean For Driving Safety?

CBD generally changes mental state by raising levels of anandamide and GABA within the brain, resulting in increased relaxation and decreased excitability. These effects are not intoxicating, yet certainly alter mood. Therefore, CBD will not impair function when it comes to driving in most people. However, it should be noted that some people experience side effects from the cannabinoid that could potentially lower driving capability.

Reported side effects include low blood pressure, lightheadedness, and drowsiness. For these reasons, it is best to become accustomed to how CBD affects you on an individual level before taking it and going for a drive. If the molecule produces any of these side effects, then it's probably best not to expose yourself to the roads. Instead, talk to your doctor and discuss why these effects are happening. It might just involve modifying the dosage.

Small doses of CBD are associated with stimulating effects that boost mood, whereas large doses are linked to more sedating effects. For these reasons, it's better to start out with small doses when you begin driving with CBD. Additionally, CBD affects different people in different ways. What may be a small dose for one user might sustain more sedating effects on another. Find out what your tolerance level is at home, in comfort, as opposed to behind a steering wheel.

THC Content Within CBD Products

So, we’ve pretty much given CBD the clear when it comes to driving safety, but then the law comes in and complicates things. Many CBD oils contain small amounts of THC, with many European countries allowing legal trace amounts of between 0.2–0.6% of the cannabinoid. These amounts are so small that they are not likely to produce any intoxicating effect, unless the oil is consumed in vast quantities. Even in this event, the sedation of a high CBD dose will probably be the primary effect here. 

Psychoactive effects aside, the trace amounts of THC in many CBD products may still put many drivers at risk of being prosecuted for drug driving. Many countries have strict zero tolerance laws when it comes to THC levels in the blood. If you are suspected of impaired driving in the United States, countries within the EU, and elsewhere, the police may pull you over and conduct testing using methods such as saliva. For example, in the United Kingdom, a THC level of just 2µg/L (micrograms) is deemed to be the threshold limit, and may result in fines and driving suspension if exceeded. Such small quantities can even be perceived as “accidental exposure”. These tests can detect cannabinoid ingestion up to 10 hours after exposure.

Conclusion

As we know that CBD works different to different people. If you are a driver at the same time, make it clear what CBD may effect your driving ability. Also make the driving laws clear on your place due to the strict zero tolerance laws on CBD in somewhere. Do not try to challenge them, the consequence is not what you want. So how to balance those two things? To be safer, without medical guidence, just driving outside of your CBD time.