State cannabis laws and cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers
Abstract Background As of November 8, 2023, 24 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for both recreational and medical use (RMCL-states), 14 states have legalized cannabis for medical use only (MCL-states) and 12 states have no comprehensive cannabis legislation (NoCL-states)....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Injury Epidemiology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-024-00498-1 |
| _version_ | 1797209561297321984 |
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| author | Thea Clare Leavitt Stanford Chihuri Guohua Li |
| author_facet | Thea Clare Leavitt Stanford Chihuri Guohua Li |
| author_sort | Thea Clare Leavitt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background As of November 8, 2023, 24 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for both recreational and medical use (RMCL-states), 14 states have legalized cannabis for medical use only (MCL-states) and 12 states have no comprehensive cannabis legislation (NoCL-states). As more states legalize cannabis for recreational use, it is critical to understand the impact of such policies on driving safety. Methods Using the 2019 and 2020 Fatality Analysis Reporting System data, we performed multivariable logistic regression modeling to explore the association between state level legalization status and cannabis positivity using toxicological testing data for 14,079 fatally injured drivers. We performed a sensitivity analysis by including multiply imputed toxicological testing data for the 14,876 eligible drivers with missing toxicological testing data. Results Overall, 4702 (33.4%) of the 14,079 fatally injured drivers tested positive for cannabis use. The prevalence of cannabis positivity was 30.7% in NoCL-states, 32.8% in MCL-states, and 38.2% in RMCL-states (p < 0.001). Compared to drivers fatally injured in NoCL-states, the adjusted odds ratios of testing positive for cannabis were 1.09 (95% confidence interval: 0.99, 1.19) for those fatally injured in MCL-states and 1.54 (95% confidence interval: 1.34, 1.77) for those fatally injured in RMCL-states. Sensitivity analysis yielded similar results. Conclusions Over one-third of fatally injured drivers tested positive for cannabis use. Drivers fatally injured in states with laws permitting recreational use of cannabis were significantly more likely to test positive for cannabis use than those in states without such laws. State medical cannabis laws had little impact on the odds of cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T09:56:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-653441cbabb54388ae3905e7ce534ce4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2197-1714 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T09:56:39Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Injury Epidemiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-653441cbabb54388ae3905e7ce534ce42024-04-14T11:05:33ZengBMCInjury Epidemiology2197-17142024-04-0111111010.1186/s40621-024-00498-1State cannabis laws and cannabis positivity among fatally injured driversThea Clare Leavitt0Stanford Chihuri1Guohua Li2Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public HealthDepartment of Anesthesiology, Columbia University College of Physicians and SurgeonsDepartment of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public HealthAbstract Background As of November 8, 2023, 24 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for both recreational and medical use (RMCL-states), 14 states have legalized cannabis for medical use only (MCL-states) and 12 states have no comprehensive cannabis legislation (NoCL-states). As more states legalize cannabis for recreational use, it is critical to understand the impact of such policies on driving safety. Methods Using the 2019 and 2020 Fatality Analysis Reporting System data, we performed multivariable logistic regression modeling to explore the association between state level legalization status and cannabis positivity using toxicological testing data for 14,079 fatally injured drivers. We performed a sensitivity analysis by including multiply imputed toxicological testing data for the 14,876 eligible drivers with missing toxicological testing data. Results Overall, 4702 (33.4%) of the 14,079 fatally injured drivers tested positive for cannabis use. The prevalence of cannabis positivity was 30.7% in NoCL-states, 32.8% in MCL-states, and 38.2% in RMCL-states (p < 0.001). Compared to drivers fatally injured in NoCL-states, the adjusted odds ratios of testing positive for cannabis were 1.09 (95% confidence interval: 0.99, 1.19) for those fatally injured in MCL-states and 1.54 (95% confidence interval: 1.34, 1.77) for those fatally injured in RMCL-states. Sensitivity analysis yielded similar results. Conclusions Over one-third of fatally injured drivers tested positive for cannabis use. Drivers fatally injured in states with laws permitting recreational use of cannabis were significantly more likely to test positive for cannabis use than those in states without such laws. State medical cannabis laws had little impact on the odds of cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-024-00498-1CannabisDriving safetyDrug policyEvaluation researchLawsMotor vehicle crashes |
| spellingShingle | Thea Clare Leavitt Stanford Chihuri Guohua Li State cannabis laws and cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers Injury Epidemiology Cannabis Driving safety Drug policy Evaluation research Laws Motor vehicle crashes |
| title | State cannabis laws and cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers |
| title_full | State cannabis laws and cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers |
| title_fullStr | State cannabis laws and cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers |
| title_full_unstemmed | State cannabis laws and cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers |
| title_short | State cannabis laws and cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers |
| title_sort | state cannabis laws and cannabis positivity among fatally injured drivers |
| topic | Cannabis Driving safety Drug policy Evaluation research Laws Motor vehicle crashes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-024-00498-1 |
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