More than 2 in 5 drivers who use alcohol and cannabis have driven under the influence of one or both substances in the past year, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has found.
Priscila D. Gonçalves, Ph.D., of Columbia University and colleagues examined data from drivers aged 16 years or older who participated in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health between 2016 and 2019. The researchers specifically focused on 34,514 survey participants who reported using alcohol and cannabis, albeit not necessarily at the same time, in the previous year.
Overall, 42% of participants in the sample reported driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, or both in the past year. Eight percent reported driving under the influence of only alcohol, 20% reported driving under the influence of only cannabis, and 14% reported driving under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis.
Furthermore, 27.5% of those in the sample reported simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use, defined as using the two substances at the same time or within a couple of hours of one another. These participants had 2.88 times the odds of driving under the influence of only cannabis and 3.51 times the odds of driving under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis compared with participants who did not drive under the influence. Daily alcohol and cannabis use increased the likelihood of driving under the influence of alcohol and cannabis, respectively, and daily simultaneous use was associated with driving under the influence of both substances.
“From a harm reduction perspective, identifying which population subgroups are at high risk for DUIs could assist the development of more focused prevention strategies, considering risk patterns of substance intake,” the researchers wrote. “Prevention strategies targeting specific behaviors, such as simultaneous alcohol/cannabis use, should be tested to reduce DUI burden.”
For more information, see the American Journal of Psychiatry article “Alcohol and Cannabis Use Disorders.”
(Image: iStock/snowflock)
Don't miss out! To learn about newly posted articles in Psychiatric News, please sign up here.
