Trends in Cannabis Involvement and Risk of Alcohol Involvement in Motor Vehicle Crash Fatalities in the United States, 2000‒2018

Bibliographic Data

ID11028137
AuthorsMarlene C Lira (0000-0001-7967-1963, Marlene C. Lira is with the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Timothy C. Heeren is with the Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston. Magdalena Buczek is with the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston. Jason G. Blanchette is with the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health. Rosanna Smart is with RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA....), Timothy Heeren (0000-0001-5643-3559, Boston University), Timothy C Heeren (Marlene C. Lira is with the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Timothy C. Heeren is with the Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston. Magdalena Buczek is with the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston. Jason G. Blanchette is with the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health. Rosanna Smart is with RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA....), Magdalena Buczek (Marlene C. Lira is with the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Timothy C. Heeren is with the Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston. Magdalena Buczek is with the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston. Jason G. Blanchette is with the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health. Rosanna Smart is with RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA....), Jason G Blanchette (0000-0001-5527-260X, Marlene C. Lira is with the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Timothy C. Heeren is with the Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston. Magdalena Buczek is with the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston. Jason G. Blanchette is with the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health. Rosanna Smart is with RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA....), Rosanna Smart (0000-0002-1568-2097, Marlene C. Lira is with the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Timothy C. Heeren is with the Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston. Magdalena Buczek is with the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston. Jason G. Blanchette is with the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health. Rosanna Smart is with RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA....), Rosalie Liccardo Pacula (0000-0002-6145-9865, Marlene C. Lira is with the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Timothy C. Heeren is with the Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston. Magdalena Buczek is with the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston. Jason G. Blanchette is with the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health. Rosanna Smart is with RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA....), Timothy S Naimi (0000-0001-9849-4413, Marlene C. Lira is with the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Timothy C. Heeren is with the Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston. Magdalena Buczek is with the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston. Jason G. Blanchette is with the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health. Rosanna Smart is with RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA....)
Year2021
Volume111
Issue11
Pages1976-1985
Publication date2021-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2021.306466
PMID34709858
OpenAlexW3208799985
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited31

Objectives. To assess cannabis and alcohol involvement among motor vehicle crash (MVC) fatalities in the United States. Methods. In this repeated cross-sectional analysis, we used data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System from 2000 to 2018. Fatalities were cannabis-involved if an involved driver tested positive for a cannabinoid and alcohol-involved based on the highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of an involved driver. Multinomial mixed-effects logistic regression models assessed cannabis as a risk factor for alcohol by BAC level. Results. While trends in fatalities involving alcohol have remained stable, the percentage of fatalities involving cannabis and cannabis and alcohol increased from 9.0% in 2000 to 21.5% in 2018, and 4.8% in 2000 to 10.3% in 2018, respectively. In adjusted analyses, fatalities involving cannabis had 1.56 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.48, 1.65), 1.62 (95% CI = 1.52, 1.72), and 1.46 (95% CI = 1.42, 1.50) times the odds of involving BACs of 0.01% to 0.049%, 0.05% to 0.079%, and 0.08% or higher, respectively. Conclusions. The percentage of fatalities involving cannabis and coinvolving cannabis and alcohol doubled from 2000 to 2018, and cannabis was associated with alcohol coinvolvement. Further research is warranted to understand cannabis- and alcohol-involved MVC fatalities. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(11):1976–1985. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306466 )

Alcohol · Biology · Cannabis · Confidence interval · Crash · Driving under the influence · Environmental health · Injury prevention · Logistic regression · Occupational safety and health · Odds ratio · Poison control · Psychiatry · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · Demography · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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