In the 1978 movie “Up in Smoke,” the poplar comedy duo Cheech and Chong got a lot of laughs poking fun at driving stoned.
In one scene, their car fills up with white smoke as they drive down a highway after smoking an oversize joint. They end up stopped on a traffic island without realizing it shortly before the cops come.
In Massachusetts, where voters legalized recreational marijuana for people 21 and over, officials are taking cannabis impaired driving more seriously.
After Jan. 1, Massachusetts will become the first state in the nation that has legalized recreational marijuana use to adopt a curriculum on cannabis for drivers’ education, according to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
The drivers’ education curriculum previously referenced alcohol and drugs overall. But now it will include a section specifically on cannabis impaired driving, according to the RMV.
Tom Murray, a co-owner of Teachers Driving Academy in Norton, says young drivers need to know the risks of driving under the influence of marijuana as well as alcohol.
Murray says he has seen enough statistics and news stories about crashes involving teenagers and marijuana to convince him of the need for the new curriculum.
Since recreational marijuana was legalized, “We’ve seen an increase in car crashes involving drivers 16 to 23. You can say it’s a coincidence but it’s not,” Murray said.
“A lot of kids say they use marijuana because it’s easy to disguise,” he said, adding that kids use marijuana edibles or vape it.
“We have to educate these kids about what’s happening,” Murray said.
He referred to Colorado, which was the first to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of fatalities in crashes in which drivers tested positive for THC rose from 18 in 2013 to 77 in 2016.
A new study by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety concluded that the number of drivers in Washington who test positive for marijuana after a fatal crash has doubled — from about 9% to about 18% — since the state legalized it in 2012.
However, the authors of the study found only a correlation between legalization and an increased number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested positive, not an actual causative link.
The new curriculum addressing impaired driving will be updated to include information on cannabis, including how THC — the active chemical in marijuana — affects cognition, vision, reaction time, and perception of time and distance.
Called “Shifting Gears: the Blunt Truth about Marijuana and Driving,” the new curriculum is designed by AAA Northeast and is taught in part through a 25-minute informative and easy to follow educational video.
In the video, Diana Gugliotta of AAA Northeast says, “Research shows that it’s difficult for drivers impaired by marijuana to stay centered in their lane of travel. They tend to veer into another lane and even into oncoming traffic.”
“Many people don’t understand marijuana is just as dangerous as alcohol,” Gugliotta said.
Attleboro Police Chief Kyle Heagney supports the new curriculum, saying marijuana is more potent than in the 1960s or 1970s.
“I think that would be beneficial. I don’t think many new drivers realize the ramifications of driving under the influence of THC,” Heagney said.
Massachusetts drivers’ education, managed by the RMV, requires all first-time drivers younger than 18 to complete 30 hours of classroom instruction, 12 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction and six hours of observation while another student is taking behind-the-wheel instruction.
“Today’s young drivers in Massachusetts are the first generation to get behind the wheel since cannabis became legal in the state. Considering that, it is critically important they also understand how THC can impact the body including the risks associated from cannabis impaired driving,” Cannabis Control Commission Commissioner Kimberly Roy said in a statement when the curriculum was announced.
Fortunately, unlike previous generations many kids and college students now use ride sharing services to avoid driving impaired, said Murray, who has been teaching social studies at Foxboro High School for 25 years.
“They are making better decisions. I think this generation makes better decisions than the previous generation did,” he said.
The link to the AAA video is youtu.be/AcB6yJpMvqg
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