In a new study, researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health find that two in five drivers who report using alcohol and cannabis in the past year drove under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, or both.
Earlier research suggested that simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use increases driving impairment, leading to an uptick in the risk of traffic fatality more than either substance individually, particularly among young adolescents.
Drivers aged 16 years or older who reported any past-year alcohol and cannabis use in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health , or no DUI.
Between 2016-2019, 42 percent of drivers with past-year alcohol and cannabis use reported any past-year DUI .
Daily alcohol and cannabis use increased the likelihood of DUI-A and DUI-C, respectively, and both alcohol/cannabis daily use was associated with DUI-A/C.
“Our study is unique in that it reports more recent nationally representative data and compares different types of DUI categories,” noted Gonçalves.