News & Events

The data indicate an urgent need for the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority to educate the public on the risks of operating a vehicle after consuming cannabis.

Today, the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) released troubling new survey results that measure Virginians’ attitudes toward cannabis use and driving. The public affairs consulting firm Stratacomm carried out the survey and received over 750 responses representing a demographic cross-section of Virginians aged 16 and older. The CCA will use the survey results to develop a safe driving campaign mandated by the 2021 General Assembly that will highlight the dangers of marijuana-impaired driving. The campaign is set to launch in January 2023.

The survey revealed that 23% of respondents reported using marijuana in the past three months and roughly 14% of Virginians surveyed have driven high a few times or more in the past year. Alarmingly, almost one-third of those surveyed believe marijuana makes them a safer driver.

The survey findings also showed that Virginians do not perceive marijuana-impaired driving to be nearly as dangerous as other risky behaviors. While 60% of respondents judge texting and driving and 49% regard alcohol-impaired driving to be “extremely dangerous,” only 26% of Virginians view marijuana-impaired driving as extremely dangerous.

“These results are worrying and underscore the General Assembly was right to direct the CCA to undertake a safe driving campaign,” said John Keohane, CCA Board Chair and retired Police Chief of Hopewell, Virginia.

 “As a public safety and public health agency, the CCA currently has no greater priority than creating a well-funded, aggressive, and sustained campaign aimed at reducing the incidence of marijuana-impaired driving,” added Jeremy Preiss, the CCA’s Acting Head and Chief Officer for Regulatory, Policy, and External Affairs.

Additional survey findings suggest that many Virginians who use marijuana do not plan for safe travel, with 47% of marijuana users surveyed reporting they do not always have a plan for a sober ride and 24% of respondents indicating they have been a passenger in a car operated by a high driver more than once in the past year.

“The CCA wants to empower Virginians to make informed decisions about marijuana use and ensure people understand that operating a vehicle while under the influence of marijuana is extremely dangerous,” concluded Brianna Bonat, the CCA’s lead public health official.