According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the number of Americans that admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana increased from 2021 to 2022.
Key Highlights:
- In the age group 16 or older, there was a 14.85% increase from 10,876,000 in 2021 to 12,491,000 in 2022; this difference is statistically significant at the .01 level (**).
- The age group 16-20 showed a slight 0.598% decrease from 1,339,000 in 2021 to 1,331,000 in 2022; this difference is not statistically significant.
- For those aged 21-25, there was a 21.33% increase from 2,091,000 in 2021 to 2,537,000 in 2022; this difference is statistically significant at the .05 level (*).
- The 26 or older age bracket saw a 15.78% increase from 7,447,000 in 2021 to 8,623,000 in 2022; this difference is statistically significant at the .05 level (*).
This trend is expected to worsen as additional states attempt to legalize and commercialize marijuana. According to the 2022 NSDUH Section 1 Table 1.7A and Section 8 Table 8.35A, approximately one in five past-year marijuana users admit to driving under the influence of this drug. Impaired drivers are more likely to get into a crash.
Additional information and policy recommendations about this issue are in this fact sheet from SAM.