People Against Drink/Drug Driving

‘A Seven Fold Increase in DUID’ (Driving Under Influence of Drugs) It is interesting to note that whilst there has a been a slight decline in Alcohol associated incidents, cannabis has ‘filled the gap’ with an increased involvement in impaired driving issues. What is concerning is that the extent of cannabis influence on driving harms is most likely under-reported, as once medical examiners detect significant alcohol content in victims they often end their investigation as to the ‘drug of impairment’ at that point.

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Key Points

1. Driving under the influence of cannabis has been identified as a public health concern as medical and recreational cannabis availability increases in some countries.
2. A recent randomized clinical trial found similar levels of acute driving impairment with THC-dominant cannabis and with a combination of THC-CBD equivalent cannabis using on-road driving tests that provided real-world conditions; however, CBD-dominant cannabis did not produce significant cognitive or psychomotor impairment compared with placebo in this trial.
3. Media coverage of this study conveyed the findings as CBD-dominant cannabis not causing driving impairment while THC-dominant cannabis does, with the latter lasting up to 4 h post-dose.
4. It is recommended that clinicians counsel about the risks of driving impairment when patients disclose use of cannabis products containing THC.

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Also See
Cannabis use altering key functions like three-dimensional vision
“Medicinal” Cannabis & Driving – is it an Issue?

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 83(4), 494–501 (2022).

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the effects of marijuana legalization and the subsequent onset of retail sales on injury and fatal traffic crash rates in the United States during the period 2009–2019.

Method: State-by-state quarterly crash rates per mile of travel were modeled as a function of time, unemployment rate, maximum posted speed limit, seat belt use rate, alcohol use rate, percent of miles driven on rural roads, and indicators of legalized recreational marijuana use and sales.

Results: Legalization of the recreational use of marijuana was associated with a 6.5% increase in injury crash rates and a 2.3% increase in fatal crash rates, but the subsequent onset of retail marijuana sales did not elicit additional substantial changes. Thus, the combined effect of legalization and retail sales was a 5.8% increase in injury crash rates and a 4.1% increase in fatal crash rates. Across states, the effects on injury crash rates ranged from a 7% decrease to an 18% increase. The effects on fatal crash rates ranged from a 10% decrease to a 4% increase.

Conclusions: The estimated increases in injury and fatal crash rates after recreational marijuana legalization are consistent with earlier studies, but the effects varied across states. Because this is an early look at the time trends, researchers and policymakers need to continue monitoring the data.

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Alcohol interlocks significantly reduce drink driving while interlocks are active and (to a modest extent) following their removal.

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Driver who killed 5 in crash had 'second largest level' of marijuana seen by medical examiner in living specimen: report

TheBloods gang member who killed five when he slammed into a family's car on a New York highway last year had the second-highest level of marijuana one medical examiner ever witnessed in a living specimen, prosecutors said at his sentencing on Tuesday.

Jamel Turner was sentenced to 27 years in jail for vehicular manslaughter and several other charges linked to the Valentine’s Day 2018 crash on Long Island when he rear-ended a car on the highway while traveling 154 miles per hour, the New York Times reported. All of the victims burned alive, prosecutors said.

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