# Does marijuana impair one's ability to drive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405 "2011-03-20T22:35:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/21 "2011-03-21T18:11:57Z")
A little off topic but I have said this before and I’ll say it again…I really think that for some people it is a performance enhancing drug. I have played alot of high end hockey over the last 30 years and I have seen guys smoke a shitload of weed in the dressing room and hit the ice flying, pun intended. These guys performed better on weed than off of it. These guys would smoke weed between periods while the ice was being cleaned. Ross Rebagliati, the Canadian snowboarding gold medalist had THC in his system when he won the gold, Michael Phelps was caught smoking weed and I’m sure there are many others but those two come to mind. I think it’s like alcohol in that some people can drink and handle it and some can’t. Some people can smoke weed and it helps but for others it doesn’t. Just this weekend I played in a hockey tournament and we had six 24’s of beer in the dressing room between ten guys. We played two games on Friday night and we stayed in the room until 1:30 AM Saturday and some of the guys drank probably about 12-15 beers each, if not more. Our next game was 9:45 Saturday morning and at least two of those guys were back in the dressing room drinking beer at 9:00AM then hit the ice and played two games of hockey. I have no idea how they can do that because I was at a hockey party Thursday night and had a few beer more than I usually do and was that sick I could not even look at the beer for most of the weekend. [SNEAK BRAG] And just for the record we won the tournament. ( It was an a tournament based on the original six NHL teams and had some of the best players around here [http://s920.photobucket.com/albums/ad42/JFLuvly/?action=view¤t=2011.jpg](http://s920.photobucket.com/albums/ad42/JFLuvly/?action=view¤t=2011.jpg). heres a pic from after the final game… ) [SNEAK BRAG] So I guess my point is that it did not seem to affect their performance where as for me and some of the other guys we could not play at that level if we had drank all weekend. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/22 "2011-03-21T18:23:11Z")
Just for the record no one on this team was smoking any weed. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/23 "2011-03-21T19:04:28Z")
Incidentally, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, emeritus professor at the Harvard Medical School is a renowned researcher on the topic. You can find a lot of actual information on his site and related links. [http://marijuana-uses.com/](http://marijuana-uses.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/24 "2011-03-21T19:11:09Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > It does not have to. if you feel too high just drink some beer to mellow out and you will be fine. Please tell me that this is a whoosh. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/25 "2011-03-21T19:51:46Z")
> [@ookpik](#): > > I recall seeing a show about 20 years ago or so, in which a group of ten people took turns manoeuvering a car through an obstacle course on a closed track. > > The group was split up with half the group doing a shot in between runs through the course and the other half smoking weed in between. > > The subjects smoking joints in between runs got progressively better and better scores while the shot drinkers just deteriorated to the point where they had problems getting the key into the ingnition. > > That’s not to say that pot has no effect on how you drive, but to classify it as an equal to alcohol is way off base. > > A lot of things can have just as much of an impact on your driving abilities as pot… > > Too much caffeine > Not enough caffeine > A bad cold or cough > Just lost your job > Impending court date > Ongoing divorce > Insomnia > Nasty fight with spouse > Tuna sandwich at lunch with the mayo that was a little off > Allergies. Try getting a sneezing fit in the middle of rush hour traffic > Kid kicked out of school, missing, pregnant, arrested etc. > > We’re going to need a lot more Mother’s Against groups down the road. The question in this thread, I believe, is not whether pot is worse than alcohol. It’s whether it impairs one’s ability to drive. Is there anyone who thinks it doesn’t? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/26 "2011-03-21T20:23:19Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > The question in this thread, I believe, is not whether pot is worse than alcohol. It’s whether it impairs one’s ability to drive. Is there anyone who thinks it doesn’t? At least two people in this thread actually believe it improves performance. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/27 "2011-03-21T20:29:46Z")
Driven while high twice. The first time, I made a u-turn. The u-turn ended by a red light so I stopped. I forgot to straighten the wheel though and when the light turned green, I almost hit the lady in the next lane. The second time, I drove just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/28 "2011-03-21T20:54:05Z")
I have problems even _taking the bus_ while high. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/29 "2011-03-23T03:47:03Z")
Otto could do it just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Kewk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ab992/32.png) [@Kewk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kewk)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405/30 "2011-03-23T04:34:30Z")
> [@rockn\_roller](#): > > The question speaks for itself. Similarly to Alcohol; it depends on how much you drink/smoke. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-marijuana-impair-ones-ability-to-drive/575405.md?page=1)