Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Administration of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Adolescent and Adult Mice
Published on: August 1, 2025
Cannabis use frequency and driving safety: Associations between cannabis use frequency and driving perceptions and
Jenni B Teeters1, Alejandro B Ramirez1, Nathan D Meredith1
1Department of Psychological Sciences, Western Kentucky University.
Objective:
Driving after cannabis use (DACU) represents a growing public health concern among emerging adults as cannabis legalization and rates of daily use continue to increase. More frequent cannabis users may hold more permissive beliefs and engage in more frequent cannabis-impaired driving behaviors, yet few studies have directly tested this assumption.
Method:
Participants were 149 emerging adult cannabis users (74.1% women; average age = 20.70; 79.2% White) from the Southeastern United States who endorsed DACU at least three times in the past 3 months. Participants completed measures assessing cannabis use frequency, DACU-related behaviors (DACU, riding with a cannabis-impaired driver, using cannabis while driving, and driving after simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use), and DACU-related cognitions (perceived dangerousness, perceived legal consequences, peer approval, descriptive norms, and perceived "safe" amounts of cannabis before driving). Linear and negative binomial regressions were used to assess whether past-month frequency of cannabis use is associated with risky driving behaviors and cognitions.
Results:
Cannabis use frequency was significantly associated with greater engagement in DACU, riding with a cannabis-impaired driver, using cannabis while driving, driving after simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use, and perceiving larger amounts of cannabis as "safe" prior to driving. No significant associations between frequency of cannabis use and driving-related cognitions were found.
Conclusions:
More frequent cannabis users appear to underestimate impairment and engage in riskier driving behaviors. Research in more representative samples is needed given that this sample was majority female, White, non-Hispanic, and college-attending. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Related Concept Videos
CNS Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamines and Cannabinoids
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Cannabinoids
Two synthetic agonists of THC,...
Hypothesis Test for Test of Independence
H0: The two variables (factors)...
Determination of Expected Frequency
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Hallucinogens and Psychedelics
Marijuana, derived from the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, contains...

