Do you know how long cannabis stays in our bodies?

Believe it or not, it can hang around for up to 90 days, with your hair the last place in which traces of cannabis will linger.

More practically, it can be detected in your blood stream up to 48 hours after smoking a joint, 72 hours in saliva and 30 days in urine.

They are stats to make all bikers reassess the risks if they smoke and ride.

If we’re involved in a crash or stopped by police they can, if they think we’re riding under the influence of drugs, request a saliva sample to check for the presence of cocaine and cannabis. 

If the saliva analysis shows positive, then sadly it’s arrest and down to the police station for a blood sample to confirm the presence of drugs – and this can come back positive up to 48 hours after you last smoked.

A positive result means a charge of riding with excess (over the specified legal limit) drugs. That’s a minimum one-year riding ban, an unlimited fine, up to six months in prison and a criminal record. Your licence will also show that you have been convicted for drug driving - for 11 years. 

We’re not here to preach but drugs and bike riding just do not mix. Never take drugs and ride afterwards, and if you do take any recreational drugs, steer clear of the bike for at least 48 hours.

But while the risks of party drugs are well known, many people are not aware that the same risks are linked to some prescription or over the counter medicines, some of which can have a marked effect on riding ability.

The list below shows some of the more common examples but the best advice is to always ask your doctor or pharmacist if the medicine will affect your ability to ride, and always read the information sheets that come with the medicine.

The following types of drugs can cause drowsiness and impair your ability to ride:

• Some antidepressants.
• Stronger painkillers eg, those containing codeine or dihydrocodeine.
• Powerful tranquillisers – used for the treatment of some mental disorders. Some drugs used to treat epilepsy eg, phenobarbitone and phenytoin.
• Benzodiazepine tranquillisers eg, tamazepam or diazepam – commonly prescribed for anxiety or insomnia.
• Some antihistamines – used in hayfever medicines.
• Insulin and oral anti-diabetic drugs. Low blood sugar can contribute to confusion and impairment of riding ability.
• Some eye drops can cause short-term blurring of vision.

That’s why we want to send a clear message to the rider community: it’s never okay to ride after taking drugs – and be careful on prescription drugs. Even several days later our fine motor skills will be affected, and decision-making ability impaired.