Impaired Driving: Marijuana
Why Steer Clear?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse:
- Marijuana significantly impairs judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time, and studies have found a direct relationship between blood THC concentration and impaired driving ability.
- Marijuana is the illicit drug most frequently found in the blood of drivers who have been involved in vehicle crashes, including fatal ones.
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In Colorado, marijuana‐related traffic deaths increased 48 percent in the three‐year average (2013‐2015) since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana compared to the three‐year average (2010‐2012) prior to legalization. During the same time, all traffic deaths increased 11 percent, (Rocky Mountain HIDTA Investigative Support Center Report).
- Fatal crashes involving drivers who recently used marijuana doubled in Washington after the state legalized the drug, (AAA).
- Several meta-analyses of multiple studies found that the risk of being involved in a crash significantly increased after marijuana use, (NIDA).
- A study revealed 28,000 high school seniors admitted to at least one accident after using marijuana, (O’Malley, Patrick and Johnston, Lloyd)
- After alcohol, THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in marijuana, is the substance most commonly found in the blood of impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, and motor vehicle crash victims. Studies in several localities have found that approximately 4 to 14 percent of drivers who sustained injury or died in traffic accidents tested positive for THC, (National Institute of Drug Abuse).
