Introduction
Alcohol and cannabis are commonly involved in motor vehicle crashes and fatalities.
This study examines whether simultaneous use of alcohol/cannabis is associated with
higher odds of reporting driving under the influence of alcohol and cannabis in the
U.S.
Methods
Drivers aged ≥16 years with any past-year alcohol and cannabis use in the 2016–2019
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N=34,514) reported any past-year driving under
the influence of alcohol-only, cannabis-only, both alcohol/cannabis, or not driving
under the influence. Survey-weighted associations between simultaneous alcohol/cannabis
use and each of the driving under the influence outcomes were computed adjusting for
sociodemographics and daily alcohol/cannabis use. Analyses were conducted from November
2020 to September 2021.
Results
In 2016-2019, 42% of drivers with past-year alcohol and cannabis use reported driving
under the influence (8% alcohol-only, 20% cannabis-only, 14% alcohol/cannabis). Simultaneous
alcohol/cannabis use was associated with 2.88-times higher adjusted odds of driving
under the influence of cannabis-only (95% CI=2.59, 3.19) and 3.51-times higher adjusted
odds of driving under the influence of both alcohol/cannabis (95% CI=3.05, 4.05),
compared to not driving under the influence. Associations with driving under the influence
of alcohol-only were unexpectedly in the opposite direction (adjusted conditional
odds ratio=0.59, 95% CI=0.45, 0.79).
Conclusions
Overall, 2 in 5 drivers who used alcohol and cannabis reported driving under the influence
of alcohol and/or cannabis. People reporting simultaneous alcohol/cannabis use were
more likely to report cannabis-related driving under the influence. Prevention strategies
should target individuals reporting simultaneous alcohol/cannabis use to reduce the
occurrence of driving under the influence.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: February 07, 2022
Identification
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© 2021 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
