BEND, Ore. — A new study by AAA found that driving high is more common than people may think.

Nearly 85% said they drive the same day that they use cannabis, with 53% saying they used an hour or less before getting behind the wheel.

“With alcohol, we have the BAC- the blood/alcohol content, and we have legal standards that say whether a person is impaired. We don’t have that with cannabis,” Marie Dodds with AAA said.

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The study also found that people think the drug doesn’t really impact their driving. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed believe they drive the same while high. Fifteen percent said they drive a little better and 19% believe they drive much better while high.

One man Central Oregon Daily spoke to on Tuesday who admits he has driven while high is not surprised by the study’s findings.

“If I’m gonna go for a couple hour drive somewhere, I will just take a little toke just to make the drive a little more interesting,” the man said, asking to remain anonymous. “Getting high just seems different. It seems like I have better control over my functions, my judgment seems more reasonable when I’m high, compared to drinking alcohol. So it just seems like not that big a deal.”

Now AAA is exploring strategies to promote safer driving choices. It found users are more likely to trust messaging from those in the cannabis industry, like Tokyo Starfish.

“We shouldn’t have people impaired behind the wheel, full stop. But this shotgun approach to controlling it isn’t necessarily the right answer, either. So having tests that are clear and coherent, and actually proven data to truly understand who’s impaired and who’s not is super critical to continue the conversation,” Tokyo Starfish Operations Manager Lily Bright said.

AAA said it will use this study to encourage the cannabis industry, policymakers and other traffic safety stakeholderS to advance an educational campaign about the dangers of cannabis-impaired driving.

You can read the entire study and its findings here.