Risk Factors for Driving After and During Marijuana Use
DOI: 10.15288/jsad.2016.77.309
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
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Summary
This study investigates the cognitive and social risk factors associated with driving after smoking marijuana (DASM) and smoking marijuana while driving (SMWD). Motivated by the increasing legalization of marijuana and the well-documented impairment of judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time caused by the drug, the authors sought to understand why frequent users engage in these high-risk behaviors. Guided by social learning theory, the research examined whether marijuana outcome expectancies, perceived dangerousness, perceived negative consequences, and perceived peer norms predicted the frequency and likelihood of driving under the influence. The study utilized a community sample of 151 non-treatment-seeking frequent marijuana users aged 18–30. Participants completed baseline assessments including the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire to measure positive and negative outcome expectancies. Driving-related cognitions were assessed via measures of perceived peer norms (friend disapproval of DASM/SMWD and refusal to ride with impaired drivers), perceived dangerousness of driving within two hours of use, and perceived likelihood of negative consequences (e.g., arrest, accident). Lifetime frequency of DASM was recorded using a categorical scale, while SMWD was assessed as a binary yes/no variable. Multiple regression and logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors, controlling for age and gender. The results indicated that 83% of the sample had engaged in DASM and 64% in SMWD. For DASM frequency, lower perceived peer norms (i.e., fewer friends disapproving) and lower perceived dangerousness were significant predictors. Specifically, individuals who believed their peers disapproved less and who viewed driving under the influence as less dangerous reported higher frequencies of DASM. For SMWD likelihood, only perceived peer norms were a significant predictor; higher levels of perceived peer disapproval were associated with a decreased likelihood of smoking while driving. Contrary to hypotheses, marijuana outcome expectancies (both positive and negative) and perceived negative consequences were not significantly associated with either DASM frequency or SMWD likelihood in the multivariate models. The findings suggest that perceived normative beliefs and perceived dangerousness are key drivers of marijuana-related driving behaviors. The lack of association with negative expectancies may reflect a restriction of range in this sample of frequent users, who generally hold more positive than negative views of marijuana. The study highlights the need for interventions targeting social norms and risk perception to reduce marijuana-impaired driving. Limitations include the cross-sectional design, reliance on retrospective self-report, and the inability to distinguish between descriptive and injunctive norms. Future research should examine driving offenses and longitudinal patterns to better understand the etiology of this public health concern.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | OpenAlex-citations | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| archive | success | semantic_scholar | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-26 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-20 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence