Driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC)

With cannabis legislation and policy evolving internationally, drug-impaired driving has become an increasingly relevant policy issue. This structured session aims to provide those concerned with policy developments in this field with an overview of current research and the latest developments with respect to impaired driving. Topics addressed include experimental evidence of THC use and driver impairment, epidemiological evidence on the association between cannabis use and crash risk, toxicology and detection methods of THC use, policy and legislation. The data presented represent the current state of affairs of scientific research and aim to provide objective evidence to policy makers and legislators in the context of driving under the influence of cannabis. Topics will be presented in a question and answer format. This work has been prepared by an international expert working group of 25 experts in the field, covering several disciplines such public health, toxicology, medicine, psychology, traffic safety, public health and administration. The members included: Robyn Robertson (TIRF, Canada), Tom Arkell (Swinburne University, Australia), Jan Ramaekers (Maastricht University, The Netherlands), Brendan Hughes (EMCDDA, Portugal), Wayne Hall (University of Queensland, Australia), Hallvard Gjerde (Oslo University Hospital, Norway), Anja Knoche (BASt, Germany), Marilyn Huestis (Thomas Jefferson University, USA), Vigdis Vindenes (Oslo University Hospital, Norway), Ryan Smith (NTSB, USA), Iain McGregor (Sidney University, Australia), Jeff Brubacher (UBC, Canada), Tara Kelley-Baker (NHTSA), Denis Cusack (UCD, Ireland), Christine Moore (9 Delta Analytical LLC), Randy Atkins (NHTSA, USA), Richard Compton (USA), Jeremy Davey (USC, Australia), Luke Downey (Swinburne University, Australia), Eef Theunissen (Maastricht University, The Netherlands), Barry Logan (NMS labs, USA), Alain Verstraete (Ghent University, Belgium), Marc Augsburger (CHUV, Switzerland), Staci Hoff (WTSC, USA), Christine Wickens (CAMH, Canada). The presentation will be given on behalf of the expert working group by a selection of speakers. The knowledge shared by the expert working group has also been summarized in a series of fact sheets with fact-based evidence which will be available to attendees. The objective of the fact sheets is to address road safety, where the aim is to avoid traffic crashes caused by driving under the influence of cannabis. This objective demands a different approach, compared to drug control that aims to reveal illegal cannabis use. The activities of the expert working group are endorsed by the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) and the (to be confirmed) EMCDDA.