Driving under the influence of cannabis : public’s awareness

Abstract

“Cannabis-impaired driving is an under-appreciated risk, and one with growing public health consequences” (Pearlson et al., 2021, p. 12). The effects of cannabis on driving have been well-studied throughout the years and around the globe. However, the Maltese legislation fails to take into account the psychoactive hinderances of cannabis on the driver which are repeatedly highlighted in research. The focus of this study is to establish how knowledgeable the Maltese society is regarding driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC). The absence of this topic in the Maltese legislation in the recently formulated laws on the responsible use of recreational cannabis, was what inspired this study. Particularly, that there were no legal provisions deeming DUIC criminal and thus, punishable. Additionally, the adverse effects of cannabis on the driver due to its psychomotor hinderances, investigated in this project, acted as further motivations. Furthermore, the decision to evaluate the public’s awareness about DUIC was taken after perceiving the shortage in research relating to thereof. In order to fulfil the aim of this study, an online questionnaire was devised and distributed to the public through ‘Facebook’. Being a quantitative and descriptive study, a simple random sampling method was used to gather as much responses as possible, so that the generalisation of the findings more accurately represents the actual knowledge society has on DUIC. After collecting the sufficient amount of responses, these were processed and interpreted to determine whether demographic differences between respondents would have an impact on the correct response rates (CRR) obtained. Data analysis revealed that there were marginal distinctions between the percentage of correct answers attained by respondents of different age groups, genders, and educational backgrounds. It was observed that male and female respondents obtained higher CRR (58.15% and 57.14% respectively) than participants coming from the LGBTIQA+ community (50.00%). Also, respondents in possession of a diploma, degree or a more advanced form of education were more capable in answering the questionnaire correctly (60.71%) when compared to those who had no formal education whatsoever (46.43%). Additionally, the sample, irrespective of demographic differences, was able to answer 57.46% of the questions correctly. Finally, it was deduced that the sample had a difficult time answering questions which pertained to matters of law and science. In fact, amongst other findings, only just above a quarter of the sample (26.78%) knew the amount in grams the legal term ‘simple possession’ equated to, and that nearly half of the sample (42.70%) did not know the main ingredient present in cannabis which hinders one’s driving ability. Ultimately, this study concluded that age, gender and education had no significant effect on the capability respondents had in answering the questionnaire correctly. Moreover, disregarding demographic differences, the Maltese are well knowledgeable on the topic of DUIC as they managed to answer more than half of the questions correctly. However, as a final result, the Maltese lack in legal and scientific detail relating to the subject matter. This implies that more awareness on DUIC is needed.