Simultaneous Alcohol/Cannabis Use and Driving Under the Influence in the U.S.

Abstract

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. 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. 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). 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.