More Youth Drive Under the Influence of Cannabis Than Alcohol

Nearly a quarter of drivers between the ages of 16 and 20 years who have used cannabis in the past year have driven under the influence of the drug, astudy inAddictive Behaviors has found. Overall, more people in this age group reported driving under the influence of cannabis than under the influence of alcohol.Christopher P. Salas-Wright, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.A., of Boston College and colleagues examined data from 12,863 drivers aged 16 to 20 years who participated in the 2020 and 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.Overall, 6.27% of the participants reported driving under the influence of cannabis and 2.63% reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year; 1.83% reported both behaviors in the past year.Among participants who reported past-year cannabis use, 24.46% reported driving under the influence of the drug in the past year as well. Among participants who reported past-year alcohol use, 6.1% reported driving under the influence of alcohol as well. Among participants who reported using both cannabis and alcohol in the past year, 8.41% reported driving under the influence of cannabis and alcohol in the past year as well.White participants were more likely than Black and Latinx participants to report driving under the influence of cannabis. However, there were no differences among different racial groups in terms of driving under the influence of alcohol.“These estimates translate to more than a million young people each year who are taking part in i...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Addictive Behaviors alcohol cannabis driving under the influence DUI National Survey on Drug Use and Health prevention teens young adults youth Source Type: research