Jake Nelson, MPH, MPP

Director of Traffic Safety Advocacy & Research

AAA National Office ● Washington, DC

AAA to Z: Teen Driver Safety Summit Summit ● April 2017

Drug-Impaired Driving in the Age of Legalization

Reasons for Misinformation

• Vocabulary Misuse

• Dearth of Research

• Internal Validity of Early Research

• Federal vs. Street

• Cannabis & DUI Arrest/Conviction Data

• Cannabis & Crash Data

• Peak THC Blood Levels ≠ Peak Impairment

817%

Blood v. Brain THC Levels

Cannabis use is part of a much larger

substance abuse problem in the U.S.

The United States is

OF THE WORLD’s

POPULATION 5

% & 75% CONSUMES

OF THE WORLD’S PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Source: NSODC 2011

6.1 MILLION PEOPLE

have used them non-medically in the past month

R

Source: NSDUH 2011

Thank You!

Jake Nelson

Jnelson@national.aaa.com