Effect of Marijuana on Driving

The use of marijuana is growing fast through out the U.S. Driving the vehicle under the influence of marijuana kills many people in accidents. Marijuana is a mixture of dried and shredded leaves, flowers and stems of cannabis sativa. Most of the people use this in form of cigarettes. These are available as cigarettes and pipes. In marijuana cigarettes, half of the portion of tobacco is replaced with the marijuana.

Driving the vehicle under the influence of marijuana leads to accidents. Driving under the influence of marijuana is an illegal offense.

How does marijuana impair driving performance?
There is a relationship between marijuana and driving performance. Driving the vehicle while taking marijuana leads to accidents. This is mainly due to the effect of marijuana on individuals body.

• Impairs judgment and motor coordination: Marijuana causes mental and physical impairment that makes an individual unable to drive safely. Marijuana effects the skills used in driving. Cerebellum and basal ganglia are the parts of the brain involved in the coordination and judgment of things. Marijuana reaches brain and binds to the receptors present on cerebellum and basal ganglia and impairs their functioning. Thereby it reduces the motor coordination.

• Slow down the response time in emergency situations: As marijuana enters into the brain it stimulates the brain cells and release dopamine. It makes the individual to feel euphoria. It makes an individual to relax there by response will slow down.

• Decreases the learning ability: Marijuana use impairs individual thinking ability and diverts focus from driving. Use of marijuana while driving prone to accidents. Marijuana reaches brain and makes the neurons in hippo campus to loss their sense there by ability to learn new things will be decreased.

• Reduces the ability to concentrate: Marijuana use while driving effects driving by reducing the ability to concentrate of driving as it cause euphoria in individuals. It stimulates brain cells and dopamine will release in more levels. This makes the individual to relax thereby concentration will be lost on driving.

Using marijuana while driving is illegal. If you get arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana, the punishment will be same as DUI case. So it is better to consult an attorney. Select an attorney who has experience in defensing this type of cases.