CBD has now become a mainstream health-and-wellness product. If you use it (or are considering using it), it’s important to understand how it may impact your ability to perform key tasks such as driving.
Cannabis, cannabidiols and CBD
In the UK, CBD is completely legal, but THC is only permitted up to a maximum concentration of 0.2%. This is because CBD has no psychoactive effects, whereas THC is a stimulant. It has an intoxicating effect similar to that of alcohol.
CBD products
CBD products come in various formats, but they all fall into one of three broad forms. Full-spectrum CBD products contain all the cannabinoids, including, potentially, up to 0.2% THC.
CBD isolate, as its name suggests, is the CBD and just the CBD. By removing all the other cannabinoids, you remove any possibility that you will consume THC,.
This means that, for the time being, CBD isolate is really only likely to be your best option if you cannot afford to have any THC in your system at all, for example, you are subject to random drugs tests.
This may change in future as scientists are looking at ways to produce CBD isolate from sources other than cannabis. Therefore, it is possible that, in the future, CBD isolate might become the most cost-effective option.
There is a third format called “broad-spectrum CBD”, which basically contains all the beneficial cannabinoids except THC. In theory, this could be an ideal solution for many people. In practice, it is very hard to make and very hard to find and if you do find it, you’ll probably discover that it’s very expensive.
It also has to be said that just because a product should be completely free of THC, it doesn’t mean that it actually will be, so, again, if you really can’t have any THC in your system, then CBD isolate is by far the safest option.
CBD products and driving
There are two reasons why CBD products could potentially create issues for you when driving. If you drive for a living, you may be randomly tested, depending on your employer’s policy (and insurance), any THC in your system could be considered an issue.
For completeness, at present roadside breathalysers cannot detect THC, although this will probably change in the future, but if your driving was impaired, then you could be taken to a station for testing and any THC would be picked up there.
As long as it was at a maximum concentration of 0.2% it would be legal from the perspective of drug use, however, it might not look good if there were any issues with your driving.
The other potential issue is that CBD can cause feelings of drowsiness in some people, which could impair your ability to manage a car.
This means that, although CBD is completely legal, you should consider its effect on you before you decide whether or not it is safe for you to drive.
Source: Kingdom Of Green