Driving Under The Influence Is 'High-Risk' Whether It's Cannabis Or Alcohol: Study

Indeed, cannabis legalization correlates with an increase in traffic accidents.

And yet the risks involved in driving while high seem to be falling on deaf ears, at least in Canada where a recent study shows that medical or "dual-purpose cannabis users" are more likely to perceive driving under the influence of cannabis as safer than driving under the influence of alcohol.

The study, cited in News Medical, emphasized the need for "education and awareness campaigns" to get cannabis users to realize that driving under the influence of cannabis, like alcohol, is a high-risk behavior.

See Also: Driving Under Cannabis Influence? Legal Recreational Markets Linked To Fatal Accidents, Study Finds

"Those who perceive driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) as risky or dangerous are less likely to engage in the behavior," the report stated.

Researchers sourced data for the study in 2017 via telephone survey of adults in Ontario.

The results come about a month after researchers from the University of Illinois compared mortality rates in states that legalized adult-use marijuana with those that only allowed medical cannabis.

They found that recreational markets were associated with a 10% increase in motor vehicle accident deaths, with significant increases in crash fatalities in four of the seven states studied: Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

Next: How Does Cannabis Legalization Affect Impaired Driving Rates? This New Study Might Surprise You

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