Can you drive while using medicinal cannabis? Laws and regulations explained
In this article
The law states that you are not allowed to drive under the influence. This applies not only to alcohol, but also to substances that can impair driving ability, such as certain medicines and medicinal cannabis. For alcohol, clear legal limits have been established. For other substances, such limits are difficult or impossible to define. To make an assessment, scientific research has been conducted into the effects of substances on driving ability. These effects can then be broadly compared to a specific blood alcohol concentration.
In the case of medicinal cannabis, there is a mild to moderate effect on driving ability. This is comparable to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.5–0.8 per mille. Taking into account the characteristics of cannabis, the following recommendations apply, distinguished between occasional and daily use.
Advice for occasional use
For occasional use of medicinal cannabis, a waiting period of at least 15 hours is required before participating in traffic. If side effects such as dizziness or drowsiness are still present after these 15 hours, participation in traffic should be postponed until these effects have subsided. The 15-hour period is based on the time required for a single dose to be sufficiently broken down by the body.
Advice for daily use
In the case of daily use of medicinal cannabis, participation in traffic is permitted after two weeks of continuous use, provided there are no side effects. If side effects are still present after these two weeks, driving is not advised.
Individual sensitivity and combination with other substances
These recommendations take into account that individuals may differ in their sensitivity to the side effects of cannabis. When medicinal cannabis is used in combination with other substances that can affect driving ability, such as alcohol or certain medicines, side effects may last longer and/or be more pronounced. It is also possible that someone experiences few or no side effects. Nevertheless, it remains advisable to continue following the above recommendations.
Medicinal cannabis can vary in composition. The advice above is based on THC-containing extracts. An extract that mainly contains CBD will have less impact on driving ability. However, since a natural CBD extract may still contain a minimal amount of THC, the same recommendations are applied as a precaution.
Legislation and traffic controls
As of 1 July 2017, legal limits apply to drug use in traffic. If a roadside drug test is conducted using a saliva test, the result may be positive for (medicinal) cannabis. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) may decide not to prosecute a patient if the substance is used for medical reasons, the patient can provide a medical statement, and the medicine is used as prescribed.
