Ep. 43 - Risky Buzzness - Driving While High (Part 2)

Previous research has indicated that driving impaired while under the influence of cannabis can increase safety concerns for both driver and passengers, and that cannabis users are more likely to drive while impaired because of the perception that drugged driving is not as risky as drunk driving.

However, prior driving research studies focused mainly on healthy individuals using intoxicating levels of THC, which do not provide real-world evidence of how new paradigms, such as medical cannabis, influence driving while high. In this episode of Cannabis Nurse Truths, we examine the safety concerns and current attitudes related to driving while high, and we emphasize an immediate need for more reliable drug testing methods and public education campaigns. 

 

EPISODE RESOURCES

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Brooks-Russell, A., Brown, T., Rapp-Olsson, A. M., Friedman, K., & Kosnett, M. (2019). Driving after cannabis use and compensatory driving behaviors among current cannabis users in Colorado. Traffic Injury Prevention, 20(sup2), S199–S201. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15389588.2019.1665424

Brown, T., Banz, B., Schmitt, R., Gaffney, G., Milavetz, G., Camenga, D., Li, K., Brooks-Russell, A., & Vaca, F. (2022). A study of self-reported personal cannabis use and state legal status and associations with engagement in and perceptions of cannabis-impaired driving. Traffic Injury Prevention, 23(sup1), S183–S186. 
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