About
Dr. Riley Kirk has Dr. Denise Valenti on the podcast to discuss cannabis and driving, cannabis impairment, THC testing, and the challenges of determining whether someone is actually too impaired to drive. They explore why THC levels in the body do not necessarily correspond to impairment and how cannabis can affect vision, peripheral vision, contrast sensitivity, eye movement, balance, and pupil response.
They also discuss the limitations of current roadside cannabis testing compared with alcohol testing, including the challenges of using blood THC levels, cognitive tests, and field sobriety tests to determine cannabis impairment. Dr. Valenti explains her work developing technology that could combine multiple sensory measurements to identify impairment more accurately.
The conversation also explores how dose, tolerance, consumption method, individual differences, medical conditions, and baseline function can influence impairment and why there is no universal rule for how long someone should wait before driving after consuming cannabis. They discuss Drug Recognition Experts, the need for stronger scientific validation and national standards, and the importance of developing impairment-testing technology that is accurate and free from racial bias.
Finally, they discuss cannabis and driving research, harm reduction, the challenges of funding cannabis impairment studies, and why controlled, dose-specific research is needed to better understand the relationship between cannabis, impairment, and road safety.
Chapters
00:00 Cannabis Driving Question
01:08 Denise Valenti Background
03:57 Vision Loss and Driving Research
05:49 Dopamine Retina Link
07:34 Building Impairment Tests
09:38 Why THC Levels Fail
14:39 Courtroom Ready Tech
17:45 Four Part Roadside Goggle
19:56 Crash Data and Medical Use
23:33 How Long Impairment Lasts
28:41 Microdosing and Self Awareness
34:39 DREs and Legal Standards
37:05 Bias In New Tech
39:19 Glassy Eyes Mystery
39:48 Smell Changes And Munchies
41:46 THC In Tears Study
46:35 Roadside Vs Workplace Testing
48:04 Cannabis Vs Alcohol Risks
50:01 Road Design Harm Reduction
51:40 Road Rage And Crutches
53:31 Grant Funding Reality
56:30 Why This Work Matters
58:11 Health Risks And Research Limits
01:00:24 Final Safety Takeaways
01:01:25 Wrap Up And Next Topics
Connect with Dr. Denise Valenti
Dr. Denise A. Valenti, OD, FAAO
Founder & President, IMMAD LLC
Impairment Measurement Marijuana and Driving
🔗 Connect with Denise on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-a-valenti-53b72516/
🔬 Learn more about IMMAD: www.immadroadside.com
IMMAD is focused on the development of objective technologies for identifying marijuana-related impairment, including visual functions relevant to safe driving.
Want to Learn More About Cannabis Science?
Follow the Bioactive Podcast for more conversations about cannabis science, plant biology, pharmacology, health, and the research shaping our understanding of cannabis.
Want Exclusive Content and ad-free episodes?
Join the Bioactive Patreon community for as little as $1/month to ask guests your burning questions, access exclusive content, and connect with Dr. Kirk one-on-one.
www.Patreon.com/Cannabichem
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more expert insights into
cannabis science, plant biology, and more!
Sign Up for Emails!
www.AppliedPharmacognosy.org
Keep up with Dr. Riley Kirk:
https://www.bioactivepodcast.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@cannabichem
https://instagram.com/cannabichem
https://www.appliedpharmacognosy.org/
#CannabisAndDriving #CannabisImpairment #THCImpairment #DruggedDriving #ImpairedDriving #CannabisScience #CannabisResearch #THCTesting #CannabisTesting #DrivingSafety
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
They also discuss the limitations of current roadside cannabis testing compared with alcohol testing, including the challenges of using blood THC levels, cognitive tests, and field sobriety tests to determine cannabis impairment. Dr. Valenti explains her work developing technology that could combine multiple sensory measurements to identify impairment more accurately.
The conversation also explores how dose, tolerance, consumption method, individual differences, medical conditions, and baseline function can influence impairment and why there is no universal rule for how long someone should wait before driving after consuming cannabis. They discuss Drug Recognition Experts, the need for stronger scientific validation and national standards, and the importance of developing impairment-testing technology that is accurate and free from racial bias.
Finally, they discuss cannabis and driving research, harm reduction, the challenges of funding cannabis impairment studies, and why controlled, dose-specific research is needed to better understand the relationship between cannabis, impairment, and road safety.
Chapters
00:00 Cannabis Driving Question
01:08 Denise Valenti Background
03:57 Vision Loss and Driving Research
05:49 Dopamine Retina Link
07:34 Building Impairment Tests
09:38 Why THC Levels Fail
14:39 Courtroom Ready Tech
17:45 Four Part Roadside Goggle
19:56 Crash Data and Medical Use
23:33 How Long Impairment Lasts
28:41 Microdosing and Self Awareness
34:39 DREs and Legal Standards
37:05 Bias In New Tech
39:19 Glassy Eyes Mystery
39:48 Smell Changes And Munchies
41:46 THC In Tears Study
46:35 Roadside Vs Workplace Testing
48:04 Cannabis Vs Alcohol Risks
50:01 Road Design Harm Reduction
51:40 Road Rage And Crutches
53:31 Grant Funding Reality
56:30 Why This Work Matters
58:11 Health Risks And Research Limits
01:00:24 Final Safety Takeaways
01:01:25 Wrap Up And Next Topics
Connect with Dr. Denise Valenti
Dr. Denise A. Valenti, OD, FAAO
Founder & President, IMMAD LLC
Impairment Measurement Marijuana and Driving
🔗 Connect with Denise on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-a-valenti-53b72516/
🔬 Learn more about IMMAD: www.immadroadside.com
IMMAD is focused on the development of objective technologies for identifying marijuana-related impairment, including visual functions relevant to safe driving.
Want to Learn More About Cannabis Science?
Follow the Bioactive Podcast for more conversations about cannabis science, plant biology, pharmacology, health, and the research shaping our understanding of cannabis.
Want Exclusive Content and ad-free episodes?
Join the Bioactive Patreon community for as little as $1/month to ask guests your burning questions, access exclusive content, and connect with Dr. Kirk one-on-one.
www.Patreon.com/Cannabichem
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more expert insights into
cannabis science, plant biology, and more!
Sign Up for Emails!
www.AppliedPharmacognosy.org
Keep up with Dr. Riley Kirk:
https://www.bioactivepodcast.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@cannabichem
https://instagram.com/cannabichem
https://www.appliedpharmacognosy.org/
#CannabisAndDriving #CannabisImpairment #THCImpairment #DruggedDriving #ImpairedDriving #CannabisScience #CannabisResearch #THCTesting #CannabisTesting #DrivingSafety
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices