NTSB urges awareness about marijuana-impaired driving

The image of a crushed car is a haunting reminder of the dangers of driving while under the influence of cannabis.

This week, the National Transportation Safety Board released its report about a 2022 crash in Oklahoma in which six teens died. The toxicology report found that the driver had been using marijuana.

“We have a crash in which six young ladies went out to get lunch. That was all they did. When they added marijuana to the mix, they ended up dying in a crash. I think we need to take lessons from that,” said Robert Molloy, director of highway safety at the NTSB.

Along with the report, the NTSB released a safety alert, asking parents to talk to their teens about the risks of driving high, and to talk about making responsible choices.

In an interview with the associated press, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said that states that have legalized marijuana did so hastily, saying, “Unfortunately, I think state laws that are legalizing recreational and medicinal use of marijuana have really come before thoughts or action on what are they going to do about traffic safety,”

“That’s something we see too often in discussions with young people, is they believe that it’s much safer, it’s a better choice to drive impaired on marijuana than alcohol. And the reality is both of them are deadly,” said Molloy.

In almost half of the country now adults can legally purchase marijuana, and medical marijuana purchases are legal in most states.

Last year, a University of Illinois Chicago study found that on average, states with legal recreational weed had a 10% increase in motor vehicle accident deaths.

What’s missing, the NTSB believes, is messaging, beginning in elementary schools and drivers ed, and it would like to see more research done on how marijuana impacts drivers.

Paul Armentano is with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, known as NORML. He points out that it’s already illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana.

“I’d really like [Homendy] to clarify her remarks quite more than she did. Because the reality is it is a violation of law in all 50 states to operate a motor vehicle if one is impaired by any controlled substance, whether it’s marijuana, whether it’s cocaine, whether it’s benzodiazepines, whether it’s alcohol,” he said.

He also believes, however, that in light of this tragic loss, there’s room to raise awareness.

“Certainly we can have greater public awareness to make sure people are aware of those policies and to discourage that sort of irresponsible behavior,” he said.

The NTSB also recommended that the Oklahoma State Department of Education develop a drug and alcohol abuse curriculum that includes educating about the risks of driving while impaired by marijuana. The NTSB says that only Massachusetts and Rhode Island have this sort of curriculum.

“Just communicating to people that cannabis use and driving just don’t mix. And that to combine the two is to risk your life and those around you. So we need to be getting that message out to everyone. And that’s why we had the safety alert to parents,” said Molloy.

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