Survey: Californians don’t know cannabis driving laws

(Press-News.org) A new study from University of California San Diego has found that, while a third of Californians use cannabis regularly, there are significant gaps in knowledge around cannabis use and driving. The researchers found that even six years after the legalization of recreational cannabis use, adults in California demonstrate mixed awareness and knowledge of driving-related laws and regulations.

The study results, published in BMC Public Health, come from a large-scale survey of cannabis use in California, titled Impact 64, which was funded by the California Department of Cannabis Control and surveyed over 4,000 Californians who currently use cannabis.

"Many people who currently use cannabis are unaware of regulations and laws around driving and cannabis use, putting themselves and others at risk," said the study’s first author Sara Baird, M.D., associate physician diplomate at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. "There is a clear need for targeted education initiatives to address these knowledge gaps and promote safe driving practices."

As cannabis use becomes more mainstream, concerns about its risks to public health, such as impaired driving, have increased. In order to mitigate these risks, the Impact 64 study gathered both qualitative and quantitative data about cannabis use in California through an online questionnaire. This included questions about the driving-related provisions of Proposition 64, such as the requirement that all cannabis containers in a vehicle be unopened and that drivers and passengers cannot smoke or ingest cannabis in a moving vehicle.

"One of the unique strengths of the Impact 64 study is its comprehensive and representative design," said Thomas Marcotte, Ph.D., the study’s senior author, co-principal investigator of Impact 64, professor of psychiatry and co-director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “This data paints a detailed picture of how many people in California are using cannabis and what they understand about the laws governing its use.”

The researchers found that:

64% of current cannabis users reported feeling safe to drive 3 hours or less after inhalation of flower products (e.g. smoking, dry herb vaping), and 55% felt safe to drive 5 hours or less after consumption of edible cannabis products. Only 59% were aware that any container of cannabis inside a moving vehicle must be unopened and sealed, including if stored in the trunk. 62% of current cannabis users were aware that drivers and passengers cannot smoke or ingest cannabis in a moving vehicle, and 73% knew it was true that driving under the influence of cannabis can result in a DUI citation and/or arrest. Those with lower knowledge of Prop 64 driving related regulations were more likely to ever have been pulled over or involved in a crash while under the influence of cannabis. We need to educate the public about the risks of driving under the influence of cannabis and the laws that are in place to protect public safety," said Linda Hill, M.D., M.P.H., principal investigator of Impact 64, distinguished professor at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, and affiliate faculty at the Qualcomm Institute. "Our study highlights the need for targeted education initiatives for cannabis users and medical providers."

Read the full study.

Additional co-authors of the study include Daniel Ageze , Sarah Hacker and Renee Dell’Acqua at UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and Alice Gold, Ilene Lanin-Kettering and Tom Shaughnessy and at Quester.

This study was funded by the California Department of Cannabis Control (Grant #: 65334).

Disclosures: The authors declare no competing interests.

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