Home > Improving the detection of drivers impaired by cannabis: supplementing the standardized field sobriety test.

Wood, SW and Beirness, DJ (2024) Improving the detection of drivers impaired by cannabis: supplementing the standardized field sobriety test. Ottawa: Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.

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Outlines evidence suggesting the Standardized Field Sobriety Test can be supplemented with other tests and observations to help law enforcement officers detect potential cannabis impairment in drivers.

Key findings:

  • After alcohol, cannabis is the most frequently detected substance among drivers arrested for impaired driving. 
  • There’s a need for a brief field test that could be easily used by law enforcement at roadside to identify drivers whose ability to operate a vehicle may be adversely affected by cannabis use.
  • Sensitivity of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) to detect cannabis impairment is considerably lower than that for detecting alcohol impairment.
  • Adding the finger-to-nose (FTN) test and assessing (1) head movements and jerks and/or (2) eyelid tremors during the SFST produced a test battery with enhanced sensitivity to cannabis impairment.

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