Four distinct types of young adults who drive after using cannabis
A cluster analysis of 910 Canadian young adults who drive after cannabis use identified four distinct profiles, from well-adjusted youth with mild symptoms to individuals with generalized deviance and high psychological distress.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Four subgroups emerged: (1) frequent cannabis users who regularly drive after using; (2) individuals with generalized deviance, diverse risky road behaviors, and high psychological distress; (3) alcohol and drug-impaired drivers who were also heavy drinkers; and (4) well-adjusted youths with mild depressive-anxious symptoms.
Key Numbers
910 cannabis users with driver's licenses, ages 17-35. Four distinct subgroups identified. Analysis included driving-related behaviors, cannabis use patterns, and psychological distress measures.
How They Did This
Two-step cluster analysis of 910 Canadian cannabis users ages 17-35 with a driver's license who reported driving after cannabis use. Clustering based on driving behaviors, cannabis use and related problems, and psychological distress.
Why This Research Matters
Not all cannabis-impaired drivers are the same. Prevention campaigns and interventions that treat them as a single group may miss the distinct motivations and risk profiles that drive the behavior.
The Bigger Picture
The finding that one subgroup drives impaired as part of generalized deviance while another consists of otherwise well-adjusted youth suggests fundamentally different intervention approaches are needed.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Self-selected online sample of people who admitted to driving after cannabis use. Canadian sample may not generalize to other countries. Cross-sectional design. Self-reported driving behavior.
Questions This Raises
- ?Which subgroup is at highest crash risk?
- ?Would targeted messaging work better than universal anti-impaired-driving campaigns?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 4 distinct profiles among 910 young adults who drive after cannabis
- Evidence Grade:
- Large sample with validated cluster analysis methodology, but self-selected and cross-sectional.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022.
- Original Title:
- Typologies of Canadian young adults who drive after cannabis use: A two-step cluster analysis.
- Published In:
- Behavioral sciences & the law, 40(2), 310-330 (2022)
- Authors:
- Huỳnh, Christophe(3), Beaulieu-Thibodeau, Alexis(2), Fallu, Jean-Sébastien(4), Bergeron, Jacques, Jacques, Alain, Brochu, Serge
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03921
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Are all people who drive after using cannabis the same?
No. This study identified four distinct profiles, including frequent users who routinely drive after using, people with broad risky behavior patterns, heavy drinkers who also drive drug-impaired, and otherwise well-adjusted youth.
Which cannabis-impaired drivers are most dangerous?
The study identified profiles but did not measure crash outcomes. The group with generalized deviance and diverse risky road behaviors likely poses the greatest road safety risk.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03921APA
Huỳnh, Christophe; Beaulieu-Thibodeau, Alexis; Fallu, Jean-Sébastien; Bergeron, Jacques; Jacques, Alain; Brochu, Serge. (2022). Typologies of Canadian young adults who drive after cannabis use: A two-step cluster analysis.. Behavioral sciences & the law, 40(2), 310-330. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2575
MLA
Huỳnh, Christophe, et al. "Typologies of Canadian young adults who drive after cannabis use: A two-step cluster analysis.." Behavioral sciences & the law, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2575
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Typologies of Canadian young adults who drive after cannabis..." RTHC-03921. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/huynh-2022-typologies-of-canadian-young
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.