Drivers In Massachusetts Will Be Officially Educated On Risks Of Driving While High

Massachusetts will educate teens about driving under the influence of cannabis, marking the first ever legal-marijuana state in the nation to take the lead on this important issue.

On Monday, the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), which educates drivers throughout the state, announced it is adopting a curriculum, called "Shifting Gears: the Blunt Truth about Marijuana and Driving," in partnership with members of the Cannabis Control Commission. The curriculum was created by the American Automobile Association (AAA).

"This is the first generation of driver education students to be licensed since cannabis became legal in Massachusetts, and AAA research shows that impaired driving crashes may increase and continue to injure and kill motorists and their passengers," the registry said in a news release.

The updated curriculum will be adopted in January, 2023 and will educate approximately 52,000 young drivers per year at 700 state driving schools, reported Yahoo News.

What’s In The Curriculum?

According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) officials, "the current driver education module addressing impaired driving will be updated to include research-based information on cannabis, explaining how tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active chemical in marijuana, affects cognition, vision, reaction time, and perception of time and distance," reported MSN.

MassDOT said the RMV, AAA and Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is planning an event to publicize the new program on Friday at the Worcester Register of Motor Vehicles.

Meanwhile, a 2022 report revealed that more than 40 percent of US drivers who use both alcohol and marijuana reported driving under the influence of one or both of the substances.  

Researchers used data from 34,514 drivers aged 16 and up who reported past-year alcohol and cannabis use. They answered questions as part of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2016 to 2019.

While more than half of respondents said they did not get behind the wheel while intoxicated, 42 percent admitted they did.  

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Photo: Courtesy Of Venti Views On Unsplash