Historique
Article de Périodique
Driving under the influence of cannabis: A 5-year retrospective Italian study (2023)
Auteur(s) :
FAVRETTO, D. ;
VISENTIN, C. ;
APRILE, A. ;
TERRANOVA, C. ;
CINQUETTI, A.
Année
2023
Page(s) :
art. 111854
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Refs biblio. :
36
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
PRO (Produits, mode d'action, méthode de dépistage / Substances, action mode, screening methods)
Thésaurus géographique
ITALIE
Thésaurus mots-clés
ETUDE RETROSPECTIVE
;
CONDUITE DE VEHICULE
;
CANNABIS
;
SECURITE ROUTIERE
;
TOXICOLOGIE
;
ANALYSE CHIMIQUE
;
TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL
;
SANG
;
DEPISTAGE
Résumé :
Introduction: Cannabis consumption is associated with driving impairment and increased crash risk, endangering road safety. Toxicological analyses play a fundamental role in detecting a recent consumption of psychoactive substances. The aim of this study was to examine the concentration of cannabinoids in blood samples of driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offenders in order to investigate whether delayed sample collection affects the toxicological assessment of the offenders.
Materials and Methods: An observational retrospective study was performed using anonymized toxicological data referring to cannabis-related DUI offenders involved in road traffic accidents (RTA) or apprehended by the police from 1 January 2017-31 December 2021 archived at Legal Medicine and Toxicology Department of the University Hospital of Padova, Italy.
Results: In a total sample of 318 drivers, 143 blood samples tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and metabolites 11-hydroxy-Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC) and 11-nor-Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH), and 173 blood samples were positive for THC-COOH with THC negative. In the first group, the mean concentrations of THC and THC-COOH were 4.05 ng/mL and 28.29 ng/mL, respectively. In THC-negative cases, the mean THC-COOH concentration was 7.3 ng/mL. The time elapsed between the event and sample collection varied from 15 min to 7 h (mean 2 h 29 min). The average estimated time elapsed after consumption of cannabinoids was 3 h 7 min (Model I) and 2 h 36 min (Model II).
Conclusions: The present research discussed the main difficulties in the toxicological evaluation of drivers under the influence of Cannabis. Issues related to the time between RTA and sample collection, the laws and legal limits in force in various countries were presented.
Highlights:
Driving under the influence of cannabinoids represents a danger to road safety.
Various legal approaches regulate the tolerated levels of cannabis when driving.
The time between the event and sampling may influence the judgment of impairment.
Further scientific and legal efforts are needed to improve road safety.
Materials and Methods: An observational retrospective study was performed using anonymized toxicological data referring to cannabis-related DUI offenders involved in road traffic accidents (RTA) or apprehended by the police from 1 January 2017-31 December 2021 archived at Legal Medicine and Toxicology Department of the University Hospital of Padova, Italy.
Results: In a total sample of 318 drivers, 143 blood samples tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and metabolites 11-hydroxy-Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC) and 11-nor-Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH), and 173 blood samples were positive for THC-COOH with THC negative. In the first group, the mean concentrations of THC and THC-COOH were 4.05 ng/mL and 28.29 ng/mL, respectively. In THC-negative cases, the mean THC-COOH concentration was 7.3 ng/mL. The time elapsed between the event and sample collection varied from 15 min to 7 h (mean 2 h 29 min). The average estimated time elapsed after consumption of cannabinoids was 3 h 7 min (Model I) and 2 h 36 min (Model II).
Conclusions: The present research discussed the main difficulties in the toxicological evaluation of drivers under the influence of Cannabis. Issues related to the time between RTA and sample collection, the laws and legal limits in force in various countries were presented.
Highlights:
Driving under the influence of cannabinoids represents a danger to road safety.
Various legal approaches regulate the tolerated levels of cannabis when driving.
The time between the event and sampling may influence the judgment of impairment.
Further scientific and legal efforts are needed to improve road safety.
Affiliation :
Legal Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University Hospital of Padova, Padova, Italy
Polizia di Stato, Italy
Polizia di Stato, Italy