The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-Analysis
Background: In the last years were published many epidemiological articles aiming to link driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) with the risk of various unfavorable traffic events (UTEs), with sometimes contradictory results.Aim: The primary objective of this study was to analyze whether th...
Main Authors: | , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-02-01
|
Series: | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2018.00099/full |
id |
doaj-0eb668d9a4af42be92a860d4aa07bbac |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-0eb668d9a4af42be92a860d4aa07bbac2020-11-25T01:02:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122018-02-01910.3389/fphar.2018.00099303595The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-AnalysisSorin Hostiuc0Alin Moldoveanu1Ionuţ Negoi2Eduard Drima3Eduard Drima4Department of Legal Medicine and Bioethics, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, RomaniaFaculty of Automatic Control and Computers, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Surgery, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, RomaniaClinical-Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Dunǎrea de Jos, Galaţi, RomaniaGalai Psychiatry Hospital, Galaţi, RomaniaBackground: In the last years were published many epidemiological articles aiming to link driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) with the risk of various unfavorable traffic events (UTEs), with sometimes contradictory results.Aim: The primary objective of this study was to analyze whether there is a significant association between DUIC and UTEs.Materials and Methods: We used two meta-analytical methods to assess the statistical significance of the effect size: random-effects model and inverse variance heterogeneity model.Results: Twenty-four studies were included in the meta-analysis. We obtained significant increases in the effect size for DUIC tested through blood analysis, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.97 and a confidence interval (CI) between 1.35 and 2.87; death as an outcome, with an OR of 1.56 and a CI between 1.16 and 2.09; and case–control as the type of study, with an OR of 1.99 and a CI between 1.05 and 3.80. Publication bias was very high.Conclusion: Our analysis suggests that the overall effect size for DUIC on UTEs is not statistically significant, but there are significant differences obtained through subgroup analysis. This result might be caused by either methodological flaws (which are often encountered in articles on this topic), the indiscriminate employment of the term “cannabis use,” or an actual absence of an adverse effect. When a driver is found, in traffic, with a positive reaction suggesting cannabis use, the result should be corroborated by either objective data regarding marijuana usage (like blood analyses, with clear cut-off values), or a clinical assessment of the impairment, before establishing his/her fitness to drive.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2018.00099/fullcannabisdriving under the influence of cannabisdeathinjurycollisioninverse variance heterogeneity |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Sorin Hostiuc Alin Moldoveanu Ionuţ Negoi Eduard Drima Eduard Drima |
spellingShingle |
Sorin Hostiuc Alin Moldoveanu Ionuţ Negoi Eduard Drima Eduard Drima The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-Analysis Frontiers in Pharmacology cannabis driving under the influence of cannabis death injury collision inverse variance heterogeneity |
author_facet |
Sorin Hostiuc Alin Moldoveanu Ionuţ Negoi Eduard Drima Eduard Drima |
author_sort |
Sorin Hostiuc |
title |
The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-Analysis |
title_short |
The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-Analysis |
title_full |
The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-Analysis |
title_fullStr |
The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-Analysis |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-Analysis |
title_sort |
association of unfavorable traffic events and cannabis usage: a meta-analysis |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Pharmacology |
issn |
1663-9812 |
publishDate |
2018-02-01 |
description |
Background: In the last years were published many epidemiological articles aiming to link driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) with the risk of various unfavorable traffic events (UTEs), with sometimes contradictory results.Aim: The primary objective of this study was to analyze whether there is a significant association between DUIC and UTEs.Materials and Methods: We used two meta-analytical methods to assess the statistical significance of the effect size: random-effects model and inverse variance heterogeneity model.Results: Twenty-four studies were included in the meta-analysis. We obtained significant increases in the effect size for DUIC tested through blood analysis, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.97 and a confidence interval (CI) between 1.35 and 2.87; death as an outcome, with an OR of 1.56 and a CI between 1.16 and 2.09; and case–control as the type of study, with an OR of 1.99 and a CI between 1.05 and 3.80. Publication bias was very high.Conclusion: Our analysis suggests that the overall effect size for DUIC on UTEs is not statistically significant, but there are significant differences obtained through subgroup analysis. This result might be caused by either methodological flaws (which are often encountered in articles on this topic), the indiscriminate employment of the term “cannabis use,” or an actual absence of an adverse effect. When a driver is found, in traffic, with a positive reaction suggesting cannabis use, the result should be corroborated by either objective data regarding marijuana usage (like blood analyses, with clear cut-off values), or a clinical assessment of the impairment, before establishing his/her fitness to drive. |
topic |
cannabis driving under the influence of cannabis death injury collision inverse variance heterogeneity |
url |
https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2018.00099/full |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT sorinhostiuc theassociationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis AT alinmoldoveanu theassociationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis AT ionutnegoi theassociationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis AT eduarddrima theassociationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis AT eduarddrima theassociationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis AT sorinhostiuc associationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis AT alinmoldoveanu associationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis AT ionutnegoi associationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis AT eduarddrima associationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis AT eduarddrima associationofunfavorabletrafficeventsandcannabisusageametaanalysis |
_version_ |
1725206319177138176 |