Only a Quarter of Virginia Drivers Said Driving on Pot is ‘Extremely Dangerous,’ Survey Shows

Virginia state officials released a recent study into the dangers of driving with cannabis, but it didn’t go as planned: The study says officials don’t know how safe it is to drive He said he was showing “anxiety” and a “worrying” attitude. under the influence of pot.

The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) released new survey results measuring Virginians’ attitudes toward cannabis use and driving, according to Oct. 25. press release.

Stratacomm, a public relations consulting firm, Investigation We received over 750 responses representing a demographic cross-section of Virginia residents ages 16 and older.

About 23% of respondents reported having consumed cannabis in the past three months, and about 14% of Virginia drivers surveyed said they had driven on the highway more than a few times in the past year. increase.

Nearly a third of those surveyed safer driver. However, it is important to remember that some respondents were only 16 years old and not old enough to drive a car. It may be easy to imagine a loose attitude towards safe driving.

The data shows that Virginians don’t perceive cannabis driving as dangerous as other dangerous behaviors such as drinking and driving. 60% of respondents have seen him texting and driving, and 49% consider driving with alcohol to be “extremely dangerous.” But only a quarter of them (26%) of Virginians think driving with cannabis is “extremely dangerous.”

The CCA will use the findings to develop the 2021 General Assembly-mandated safe driving campaign, which will highlight the dangers of driving with cannabis, due to begin in January 2023.

CCA has their work cut short. John Kehane, his CCA Board Chairman and former Police Chief of Hopewell, Virginia, said:

“As a public safety and public health agency, CCA is currently committed to developing well-funded, aggressive and sustained campaigns aimed at reducing the incidence of marijuana-related driving disorders. No priority, either: Chief of Regulation, Policy and External Relations.

The survey results also suggest that not all Virginians who consume cannabis do so responsibly: 47% of surveyed cannabis consumers regularly plan to drink and drive. and 24% of respondents indicated that they were passengers in a car driven by a high driver at least once in the past year.

“CCA wants to help Virginians make informed decisions about marijuana use and to make sure people understand that driving while under the influence of marijuana is extremely dangerous. concluded Brianna Bonato, CCA’s Chief Public Health Officer.

CCA invites anyone interested in more cannabis-related public health and safety information to visit. cannabis.virginia.gov.

Efforts to promote safe driving with cannabis are also active at the federal level.of Governor Road Safety Association (GHSA) commissioned a report on a cannabis and driving education campaign on 26 July. GHSA partnered with the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving to create a playbook written specifically for the State Highway Safety Office (SHSO).

Similar efforts to identify the safety needs of people who consume cannabis are underway in Canada.Research published in Journal of the Canadian Medical Association Conducted by the relevant research team in April 2021. Lady Davis Institute Doctors at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal found similar attitudes and misinformation about driving under the influence of marijuana.