Traffic safety experts say drug-impaired driving has become a major safety issue in recent years as cannabis is more widely used. 

Some form of cannabis consumption is legal is 38 states, including New York. 

“We’re on the road every day with people around us who have consumed cannabis,” said Mark Gruba, a spokesperson for AAA of western and central New York. 

Researchers say unlike alcohol, cannabis affects people in complex ways that can vary from person to person. This can include fatigue, brain fog, impaired body movement, changes in visual or auditory perception and even hallucinations. 

According to a new survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, almost half of regular cannabis users don’t believe their consumption has any negative effect on their driving ability.

More than half said they got behind the wheel of a vehicle an hour or less after consuming the drug.

“To me, that’s the biggest red flag in this study,” Gruba said. “That’s something that we need to message in a way where people who choose to use cannabis understand that that is not a good decision.”

The survey found that cannabis consumers were more responsive to messages focusing on personal responsibility and safety which avoided exaggerated stereotypes, compared to messages highlighting the legal risks of impaired driving. And they consider the cannabis industry itself a trusted and reliable source for that information. 

Gruba emphasized that the survey is not intended to place a value judgment on cannabis users. “We’re not using terms like users or druggies. These are our neighbors, our friends, our parents, our children.” 

Triple A hopes the research, which included 2,000 cannabis users in eight states, will be used by policymakers and law enforcement to improve public safety.