In a startling find, a recent study has found that over 40% of cannabis, alcohol users are driving under the influence.
The study comes out of Columbia University and is revealing just how many people drive while under the influence of marijuana, alcohol, or both.
The study examined data from over 34,514 individuals aged 16 years and up who reported past-year marijuana or alcohol use between 2016-2019.
According to the study, approximately 42% of respondents reported driving under the influence of either substance, or both simultaneously. Around 14% of respondents said they drove under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis.
Of those who drove under the influence, around 8% reported driving after consuming only alcohol; a separate 20% drove after using cannabis and the final 14% drove under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis.
The report has been published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine this week. It examined data from over 34,514 individuals aged 16 years and up who reported past-year marijuana or alcohol use between 2016-2019. Approximately 42% of respondents reported driving under the influence of either substance, or both simultaneously.
Individuals who reported consuming alcohol and cannabis at the same time were over twice as likely to drive under the influence of cannabis and over 3.5 times as likely to drive under the influence of both substances when compared to those who did not drive while impaired, said the study.
The participants in the study were largely male, non-Hispanic white and with a family income of $40,000 or less per year
“From a harm reduction perspective, identifying which population subgroups are at high risk for DUIs could assist the development of more focused prevention strategies,” said Priscila Dib Gonçalves, lead author of the study. “Future research should also investigate the potential impact of low or ‘promotional’ cannabis prices with higher levels of use, intoxication, and simultaneous use of other substances.”
