Weed Out Impaired Driving
Scary Truth About Weed | Jaylen Marrero (FL), 2022 Winner
While laboratory studies of people with THC in their bloodstream do not support significant impairment on single tasks, such as memory, addition, or subtraction, there may be a more significant impact on multitasking and handling unexpected events (which are critical components of safe driving).
Adult Tips:
Too many teens and their parents don’t know the facts about cannabis and driving.
In a 2017 SADD/Liberty Mutual Survey, 33% of teens and 27% of their parents surveyed thought it was legal to drive under the influence of marijuana in states where marijuana is legal to use.
Neurodevelopment continues until at least the early or mid-20s, and cannabis use impacts how connections are formed within the brain.
Discuss these long-term effects with your teen.
In a 2020 article in the Journal of American Medical Association, researchers found that almost half (48.8%) of teen drivers who currently use cannabis reported driving after using.
Teen Tips:
Cannabis use impairs cognitive abilities necessary for safe driving, including reaction time, road lane–tracking ability, and attention maintenance.
Cannabis can impair coordination, distort perception, and lead to memory loss and difficulty with problem-solving.
In 2017, 49% of drivers ages 14-18 who currently use cannabis engaged in driving after using.
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