Research & Resources

Researchers sought to determine how use and co-use of alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine was associated with driving under the influence (DUI) and riding with an impaired driver (RWID) in this study. College student drinkers with past-year marijuana and/or nicotine use were assessed on two consecutive weekends for three semesters. Compared to students who only used alcohol, students who also reported marijuana use were more likely to DUI, and students who reported use of alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana were more likely to both DUI and RWID. Students reporting use of all three substances had higher overall risk of DUI and RWID, indicating that prevention efforts for DUI and RWID should include all substances.

This paper, “Alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine use as predictors of impaired driving and riding with an impaired driver among college students who engage in polysubstance use,” was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.