Effects of Marijuana on Driving: a Standardized Assessment

描述(申请人提供)：醉酒驾驶是一个严重的问题。近一半的12年级学生尝试过大麻，四分之一的学生在大麻影响下开车。1目前，没有简单的标准化评估，可以通过最低限度的培训来管理和分析，以测试吸食大麻造成的损害。这项研究将评估两项任务的敏感性，这两项任务可以用最少的训练和时间进行管理，并与简化的模拟驱动相比，对大麻的剂量依赖效应(安慰剂，200微克/公斤和300微克/公斤)进行比较。50名健康的偶尔吸食大麻的人将被招募参加三次访问，在此期间，他们将完成车道转换测试、注意力评估和多个时间间隔的模拟驾驶。假设所有任务都会在使用大麻后立即表现出剂量依赖性的表现损害，这种损害将随着时间的推移而减弱。进一步假设，车道改变测试和注意力评估将适用于工作场所对大麻中毒的评估，这两种测试提供了关于损害的快速和容易的汇总统计数据。 与公共健康相关：喝醉大麻开车是一个严重的公共卫生问题，因为近一半的12年级学生尝试过大麻，四分之一的学生曾在大麻影响下开车。本研究将评估车道改变任务和注意力评估的敏感性，并与模拟驾驶相比，检测多个时间点和剂量下的大麻损伤。确定快速、可靠、只需最少培训即可进行的评估将有助于检测大麻造成的驾驶损害，并有可能降低其流行率，从而挽救生命。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Driving while intoxicated by marijuana is a serious concern. Almost half of 12th graders have tried marijuana and 1 in 4 have driven under its influence.1 Currently there is no brief standardized assessment that can be administered and analyzed with minimal training to test for impairment from marijuana intoxication. This study will evaluate the sensitivity of two tasks that can be administered with minimal training and time in comparison with an abbreviated simulated drive on the dose-dependent effects of marijuana (placebo, 200 mcg/kg and 300 mcg/kg). Fifty healthy, occasional users of marijuana will be recruited to participate in three visits each during which they will complete the Lane Change Test, The Attention Assessment and a simulated drive at multiple time intervals. It is hypothesized that all tasks will show a dose dependent impairment in performance immediately following marijuana use and that impairment will diminish over time. It is further hypothesized that the Lane Change Test and The Attention Assessment, which provide quick and easy summary statistics of impairment, will be suitable for use in workplace assessment of marijuana intoxication. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Driving while intoxicated by marijuana is a serious public health concern as almost half of 12th graders have tried marijuana and 1 in 4 have driven under its influence. This study will evaluate the sensitivity of the Lane Change Task and The Attention Assessment in comparison with simulated driving on the ability to detect marijuana impairment at multiple time points and doses. Identification of fast, reliable, assessments that can be conducted with minimal training will aid in the detection of driving impairment due to marijuana and potentially decrease its prevalence, thereby saving lives.