Virginians Are Undermining Dangers Of Driving High, New 'Troubling' Survey Shows

Virginians don’t have a responsible stance on marijuana use and driving, according to a new survey.

The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) issued a press release recently revealing that some residents are undermining the dangers of being cannabis-impaired while driving, according to the state agency in charge of adult-use cannabis legalization.

The survey, conducted by the public affairs consulting company Stratacomm, obtained more than 750 responses, and its results will be used by the CCA to create a safe driving campaign required by the 2021 General Assembly. The campaign is set to roll out in January.

Driving under the influence of cannabis, or keeping an open container of alcohol in a vehicle is illegal.

“As a public safety and public health agency, the CCA currently has no greater priority than creating a well-funded, aggressive, and sustained campaign aimed at reducing the incidence of marijuana-impaired driving,” Jeremy Preiss, acting head of the CCA, stated.

Survey Highlights

• More than one in 10 Virginians (or 11%) have driven at least once a month in the past year after consuming cannabis.
• Only 70% believe those who consume cannabis are a danger to others while driving.
• Around 16% think that driving while high is extremely dangerous, compared to 49% who think the same for driving under the influence of alcohol.
• Some 47% of cannabis users don’t necessarily have a plan for a “sober ride” and 24% confirmed being a passenger in a vehicle operated by a driver under cannabis influence more than once in the last year.
• Nearly one-third of respondents believe those who consume weed “tend to drive slower and more cautiously and are usually safer drivers.”

Brianna Bonat, health policy, and data manager for the Cannabis Control Authority challenged that belief.

“Marijuana can impact the brain in terms of making informed decisions. You might have slower reaction time,” Bonat said, as reported by abc8News. “With recent legalization of possession of marijuana of up to an ounce, sometimes people see legal as safe and that is not always the case.”

Virginia legalized cannabis possession and home cultivation in limited amounts for adults last year, with a goal of rolling out retail sales by 2024. The adult-use sales launch date is in question because Republicans halted a bill that would push the process forward. The discussion should continue in the 2023 session.

It is important to note that Bonat said it is not clear if behaviors and attitudes have changed post-legalization, as this is the first time they're gathering this kind of data. The plan is to run a similar sure after the safe driving campaign launches.

“The data collection is new,” Bonat said. “That is an area that the state as a whole needs to work on collecting.”

A spokesperson for Virginia State Police told the outlet that they don’t have data comparing DUI cases involving cannabis before and after legalization went into effect, and neither does the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

It is very hard to obtain this kind of data because of tests used to detect cannabis, which only show if marijuana is present in someone’s body, and cannot determine if the person was driving while actually impaired or what form impairment may take as it can differ among individuals. Cannabis use can be detected several days after consumption, while the “high” doesn’t last that long.

“As marijuana legalization continues to take hold in Virginia and nationally, policymakers and advocacy groups should work to address key misunderstandings about the effects of driving under the influence of marijuana – namely that far fewer Virginians feel it is extremely dangerous to drive under the influence of marijuana compared to alcohol,” the survey reads.

Photo: Benzinga Edit; Sources: ExpertOutfit and Smarteless by Shutterstock