Examining the impact of legalization on the prevalence of driving after using cannabis: A comparison of rural and non-rural parts of Canada

Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the likelihood of driving after using cannabis, and of being a passenger with someone who is driving after using cannabis, in rural areas and non-rural areas before and after legalization.

Methods

A multi-wave analysis of Canada’s National Cannabis Survey was conducted using logistic regression with interactions to predict the prevalence of driving after using cannabis, and of being a passenger with someone who is driving after using cannabis, in relation to place of residence (rural or non-rural) and in the weeks and months before and after legalization. Three time points were compared: pre-legalization, two months following legalization and 1 year after legalization.

Results

At the national level, there are no significant differences between the predicted estimates of driving after using cannabis for those who live in rural and non-rural areas. However, when examining the impact of legalization, we found a significant increase in driving after using cannabis among rural residents directly following legalization. Furthermore, it was observed that this increase in driving after using cannabis returns to pre-legalization rates one year after legalization. By contrast, in the weeks and months following legalization, driving after using cannabis decreased among those living in non-rural areas, and slowly increased soon thereafter. No significant differences were observed, in either time period or group, in the prevalence of being a passenger with someone who is driving after using cannabis.

Conclusions

The finding of significantly higher risk of driving after use of cannabis soon after legalization in rural areas suggests a need for more attention to address immediate concerns for public safety. The increased potential for traffic injuries and deaths in other jurisdictions contemplating legalization supports the call for more and better targeted prevention efforts in rural communities that have far too often been overlooked and under-served.

Keywords:

• Driving after using cannabis
• impaired driving
• cannabis legalization
• rural Canada
• drug policy
• prevention

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). Although the research and analysis are based on data from Statistics Canada, the opinions expressed do not represent the views of Statistics Canada.

Data availability statement

The data set associated with the paper is the National Cannabis Survey. It can be accessed through Statistics Canada.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada under Grant #435-2019-0125.