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Cannabis edges out alcohol as the most common impairing substance: driver study
FREDERICTON — A six-year analysis of more than 10,000 Canadian drivers involved in motor vehicle collisions suggests cannabis has edged out alcohol as the most common impairing substance detected through after-crash blood testing.
The National Drug Driving Study 2024, produced by the University of British Columbia, says researchers analyzed blood samples from drivers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador between 2018 and 2023.
They found 54 per cent of these injured drivers tested positive for at least one impairing substance, and among that group 16.6 per cent had cannabis in their blood stream while 16 per cent had alcohol.
“Driving after cannabis use appears to be an emerging problem in Canada and may now be more common than driving after drinking alcohol,” the study says.