In a recent study published within the Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour journal, researchers explored how individuals perceive the risks related to driving while under the influence of cannabis.

Perceiving driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) as dangerous or dangerous has been found to diminish the likelihood of engaging within the behavior. Cannabis usage and potency have increased within the US and Canada, while perceived harm has decreased. Studies have shown that despite a decrease in perceived risk related to cannabis use, there remains to be an increased risk of collisions and impaired driving behavior and performance.

Study: Risk perceptions of driving under the influence of cannabis: Comparing medical and non-medical cannabis users. Image Credit: rbkomar / Shutterstock

In regards to the study

In the current study, researchers compare the danger perceptions of DUIC between individuals who use cannabis solely for non-medical purposes and people who use it for medical purposes or each.

The info utilized in this study were obtained from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Monitor 2017, a telephonic survey of adults in Canada that’s regionally stratified and cross-sectional in design. The CAMH Monitor is performed quarterly using independent samples of around 750 completions each. The study focused on individuals who had used cannabis up to now 12 months and provided responses about their perceptions of the danger of DUIC.

The 2017 survey enquired about DUIC risk perceptions in one in all its two panels. The survey used a dual-frame sampling design that included landline in addition to cellular telephone sampling frames. The sample was stratified by region, with an equal distribution of respondents from each province region. The info were weighted to account for regional representation and selection probabilities, while the age-by-gender distribution was restored through post-stratification adjustment using the newest census figures. The weighted sample is representative of non-institutionalized adults residing in Ontario.

The end result measures were based on three DUIC risk perceptions: (1) DUIC raises the likelihood of being in a motorized vehicle collision (MVC); (2) DUIC is less dangerous than DUI of alcohol (DUIA); and (3) The probability of getting caught by law enforcement for drinking and driving is higher than for DUIC. The survey used a 5-point scale for respondents to rate their agreement level with each statement.

Two survey items were used to measure the target of using cannabis, which served because the focal exposure variable. The survey query inquired in regards to the frequency of cannabis, hash, or marijuana usage inside the last 12 months. The second query was directed only to those that reported using cannabis up to now 12 months and asked in the event that they had used cannabis for medical purposes akin to managing pain, glaucoma, nausea, multiple sclerosis symptoms, or other medical conditions. The sample was divided into two subgroups based on the responses received. One subgroup consisted of people who reported using non-medical cannabis exclusively, while the opposite subgroup consisted of people who reported using medical cannabis together with or without further non-medical cannabis usage.

Results

Roughly 62.3% of people reported using cannabis solely for non-medical reasons, while 37.7% reported using it for medical purposes or each medical and non-medical reasons. Almost 15% of the participants didn’t consider that DUIC increases the likelihood of being in an MVC. Over half of the participants agreed that DUIC is safer than DUIA, and nearly 75% agreed that the likelihood of being caught by law enforcement for DUIA was higher than for DUIC.

The study found a big correlation between the variety of cannabis user and their agreement on the protection of DUIC in comparison with DUIA. The opposite two findings didn’t show any significant association with the variety of cannabis user. Cannabis users who used it for medical or dual purposes were found to be 45% more likely as in comparison with non-medical-only users, to consider that DUIC was safer than DUIA. The study also found that there was no significant association between the variety of cannabis use and the opposite two outcomes.

Conclusion

The study findings showed that cannabis users who used it for medical or dual purposes didn’t differ from non-medical users of their perception of the danger of collision or being caught by police enforcement related to DUIC. Nevertheless, medical or dual-purpose users were more more likely to consider that DUIC was safer than DUIA in comparison with non-medical users.

The study suggests that education and awareness campaigns should deal with medical or dual-purpose cannabis users to emphasise that DUIC involves high-risk behavior, much like DUIA, which has contributed to reductions in its incidence. Research on the correlation between DUIC and related risk perceptions for several types of cannabis users could aid road safety efforts. The impact of cultural or regional variations on risk perceptions and its effect on DUIC, together with its influence on public health messaging, also needs to be taken into consideration.