How Eating Cannabis Edibles Affects Simulated Driving Performance
In 88 adults, edible cannabis impaired driving simulator performance, with effects varying by usage frequency, THC dose, and whether driving was in urban or rural settings.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Edible cannabis impaired simulated driving performance across speed control and lane maintenance measures, with daily users showing different patterns than occasional users, and effects varying between rural and urban driving scenarios.
Key Numbers
88 adults: 29 daily users, 30 occasional users, 29 non-users. Denver, Colorado, recruited November 2023 to July 2024. Measured speed, lane departure, and other driving metrics.
How They Did This
Within-subjects driving simulator study in Denver, Colorado with 88 adults (25-55 years) in three groups: daily users (n=29), occasional users (n=30), and non-users/comparison (n=29), assessing driving after edible cannabis consumption.
Why This Research Matters
Edibles are increasingly popular but their driving impairment profile differs from smoked cannabis — slower onset, longer duration, and harder to self-regulate dosing. This creates unique road safety concerns.
The Bigger Picture
Most cannabis-impaired driving research focuses on smoked cannabis. As edibles gain market share, understanding their specific impairment profile is critical for public safety messaging and policy.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Simulator driving doesn't perfectly replicate real-world driving. Denver population in a legal state may not represent all drivers. Within-subjects design may have practice effects.
Questions This Raises
- ?How long after consuming edibles should people wait before driving?
- ?Should impaired driving laws differentiate between edible and smoked cannabis consumption?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Well-designed within-subjects simulator study with appropriate comparison groups, though simulated driving has inherent limitations.
- Study Age:
- Very recent study (2023-2024 recruitment) addressing the timely issue of edible cannabis and driving safety.
- Original Title:
- Edible cannabis use on simulated driving performance.
- Published In:
- Traffic injury prevention, 1-9 (2025)
- Authors:
- Won, Nae Y(2), Bird, Sarah(2), Wrobel, Julia(9), Brown, Timothy, Brooks-Russell, Ashley
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07968
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
Are edibles worse for driving than smoking cannabis?
This study focused on edibles specifically. Edibles have delayed onset and longer duration, potentially making it harder for users to judge when they're impaired compared to smoked cannabis.
Did daily cannabis users drive better than occasional users after edibles?
The study found different patterns between daily and occasional users, which is consistent with research showing some tolerance development, though impairment was still observed.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07968APA
Won, Nae Y; Bird, Sarah; Wrobel, Julia; Brown, Timothy; Brooks-Russell, Ashley. (2025). Edible cannabis use on simulated driving performance.. Traffic injury prevention, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2574271
MLA
Won, Nae Y, et al. "Edible cannabis use on simulated driving performance.." Traffic injury prevention, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2574271
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Edible cannabis use on simulated driving performance." RTHC-07968. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/won-2025-edible-cannabis-use-on
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.