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 Boicu, B., Al-Hakim, D., Yuan, Y., & Brubacher R.J. (2024). Attitudes toward driving after cannabis use: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 106, 418–430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2024.08.005 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. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15389588.2022.2124803 Colizzi, M., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2018). Cannabis use and the development of tolerance: A systematic review of human evidence. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 93, 1-25. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30056176/ Cuttler, C., Sexton, M., & Mischley, L.K. (2018). Driving under the influence of cannabis: An examination of driving beliefs and practices of medical and recreational cannabis users across the United States. Cannabis, 1(2), Article 2. https://publications.sciences.ucf.edu/cannabis/index.php/Cannabis/article/view/cannabis.2018.02.001 Di Ciano, P., Rajji, T.K., Hong, L., Zhao, S., Byrne, P., Elzohairy, Y., Brubacher, J.R., McGrath, M., Brands, B., Chen, S., Wang, W., Hasan, O.S.M., Wickens, C.M., Kaduri, P., & Le Foll, B. (2024). Cannabis and driving in older adults. JAMA Network Open, 7(1), e2352233. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2814053 Dutra, L.M., Gourdet, C., Farrelly, M.C., & Bradfield, B. (2023). Perceived safety, not perceived legality, mediates the relationship between cannabis legalization and drugged driving. Health Education & Behavior: The Official Publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 50(6), 718–727. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35822623/ Jones, C., Donnelly, N., Swift, W., & Weatherburn, D. (2006). Preventing cannabis users from driving under the influence of cannabis. Accident; Analysis and Prevention, 38(5), 854–861. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16574046/ Kraemer, M., Madea, B., & Hess, C. (2019). Detectability of various cannabinoids in plasma samples of cannabis users: Indicators of recent cannabis use? Drug Testing and Analysis, 11(10), 1498–1506. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31407526/ Manning, B., Arkell, T.R., Hayley, A.C., & Downey, L.A. (2024). A semi-naturalistic open-label study examining the effect of prescribed medical cannabis use on simulated driving performance. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 38(3), 247–257. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02698811241229524 McDonald, A.J., Hamilton, H.A., Wickens, C.M., Watson, T.M., Elton-Marshall, T., Wardell, J.D., Rueda, S., Roerecke, M., Stoduto, G., & Mann, R.E. (2021). Driving under the influence of cannabis risk perceptions and behaviour: A population-based study in Ontario, Canada. Preventive Medicine, 153, 106793. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743521003625 Miller, R., Brown, T., Schmitt, R., Gaffney, G., & Milavetz, G. (2024). Predicting changes in driving performance in individuals who use cannabis following acute use based on self-reported readiness to drive. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 195, 107376. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457523004232?via%3Dihub National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2022). Alcohol-Impaired Driving: 2020 Data (Traffic Safety Facts. DOT HS 813 294). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Office of Behavioral Safety Research. Available at https://www.nhtsa.gov/data National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). (2022). Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. 2022. Available at https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441...
