Residents of this state don’t think it’s too dangerous to drive high
A Virginia poll shows residents don’t think marijuana is as risky as other drugs when it comes to driving.
The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) said the results were “worrying” and that they would work to address these issues early in the new year.
Photo by Cappi Thompson/Getty Images
The survey was conducted by the consulting firm Stratacomm, which collected over 700 responses from a variety of Virginia residents over the age of 16.
Approximately 14% of Virginians reported driving up a few times in the past year. It also said that only 26% of drivers believed driving at high speeds was an “extremely dangerous” activity. The data shows that texting (60%) and drinking (49%) are seen as more risky when taking up the wheel.
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Additional data shows that 47% of drivers do not “always have a plan for a sober drive” and that 24% of them were passengers in cars driven by a senior driver. A third of respondents say strong drivers drive slower and more carefully, which means they are usually safe.
“As the 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,” said Jeremy Preiss, head of the CCA .
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Marijuana ownership and home growth were legalized in the state in 2021, and there’s still no efficient way to track drivers who are high and getting behind the wheel. Despite the fact that Virginians are misinformed, authorities believe these findings should not be used against legalization.
“These recent findings shouldn’t stop lawmakers from pushing retail access,” said Virginia NORML Executive Director JM Pedini. “Laws on adult marijuana use have generally been associated with few changes in road safety, and it’s important that we finish the work we started in Virginia.”
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