Resource References: MADD Resources
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In 2015, MADD expanded its mission to include fighting drug-impaired driving. As a result, MADD formed a Drugged Driving Task Force with key law enforcement, traffic safety and research experts to study the potential effects cannabis legalization, the national opioid crisis, and the prevalence of prescription drug misuse could have on substance impaired driving. The task force learned from these experts that proven tools to combat drunk driving will also help prevent tragedies caused by drug-impaired driving. We also discovered that there is so much more to learn. We need more research, more data, and better testing to fully understand how the increased use of cannabis and other drugs will impact traffic safety and the under 21 population. What we know:
Proven tools to combat drunk driving, such as high-visibility law enforcement, can detect and stop drugged driving too.
Continued utilization and increased participation in specialized training such as DRE and ARIDE are essential to the detection of drunk and drugged driving offenders on the roads. More research, more data and better testing are needed to fully understand the impact of cannabis legalization and other drugs on traffic safety and the under 21 population. Alcohol is a drug that took years of research to understand and establish methods for measuring its impairing effects. As a result, more work is needed to be able to measure impairment caused by other drugs, but that does not diminish the seriousness of drug- impaired driving. MADD is committed to understanding the complexity of this landscape and advocating for policies that improve the safety of our nation’s roadways. A critical step is to gain a better understanding of Americans’ attitudes and awareness toward cannabis laws regulating its use and the risks of consumption and driving. In February 2020, MADD commissioned IPSOS, a global leader in market research, with support from the General Motors Foundation and State Farm Insurance, to conduct a nationwide study of adults 18 and older. MADD subsequently released its Cannabis Report: America’s Perception on Consumption and Road Risk.
MADD's Cannabis Report published February 2020
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Mothers Against Drunk Driving ®
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