Since Canada legalized marijuana in 2018, injured drivers in British Columbia testing positive for THC have increased by 126%. This study, released in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported increases of detected THC blood levels in injured drivers when compared to pre-legalization data. The greatest post-legalization THC levels increases were for injured drivers over the age of 50 years. The established legal limit for THC in Canada is 2 ng / ml of blood. The detection rate for alcohol and THC levels more than 2.5 ng /ml together, increased by nearly three-fold. According to the authors, the detection of alcohol only in injured drivers, between the pre and post legalization periods, remained relatively unchanged.
This trend of increases of detected THC levels in drivers, post-legalization, has been experienced in the United States as well. Alcohol and cannabis remain the two most detected impairing substances detected in the driving population.
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