Is Marijuana a Dangerous Drug? Review from the Perspective of a Neuropsychologist Involved in Rehabilitation

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‘Is marijuana a dangerous drug? Review from the perspective of a neuropsychologist involved in rehabilitation.’

Source 1.

McCarthy, D. M., Lynch, A. M. & Pedersen, S. L. (2007). Driving after use of alcohol and marijuana in college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 21(3), 425-430.

• Reason / rationale –Marijuana is frequently used by reckless drivers, however little is known about driving following marijuana use compared to alcohol use.
• Aims & Hypotheses – The researchers aimed to “compare perceptions of driving after marijuana use with perceptions of driving after use of alcohol” (p. 426), and secondly to investigate how cognitions (attitudes, normative beliefs and perceived negative consequences) act as risk factors for substance related driving. These aims reflect the normative theory of social behaviour, which suggests that people will conform to what they believe to be socially acceptable behaviour (social norms) in order to be accepted by the group. The researchers hypothesised that “participants would rate driving after using marijuana as being more acceptable to peers, less dangerous and less likely to have negative consequences than driving after alcohol” (p. 426). Secondly, that “greater acceptance by peers, lower perceived dangerousness, and lower perceived probability of negative consequences would be associated with increased likelihood and frequency of self-reported driving after use of alcohol and marijuana” (p. 426).
• Participants – Participants were 599 psychology students (59% female; mean age 18.54) from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Participants received partial credit for their course in return for participation in the study.
• Task / materials – Participants were required to complete a number of self-report questionnaires about: demographics, normative beliefs, attitudes and perceived negative consequences of drinking alcohol or using marijuana and driving, personal history of alcohol and marijuana use, and personal history of driving after alcohol or marijuana use.
• Key results – Of current marijuana users, 47% reported driving after use, compared to 55% of alcohol users. In support of the first hypothesis, results demonstrated that participants perceived that driving after marijuana use was more acceptable to peers (indicating a perception of a social norm) and negative consequences were less likely than when driving after alcohol use. Supporting the second hypothesis, lower perceived dangerousness and greater perceived peer acceptance were related to increased likelihood and frequency of driving after substance use.
• Researchers conclusions – The researchers conclude that targeting youths’ perceptions of the dangers, social norms, and negative consequences of driving after marijuana use may be a good technique to decrease the incidence of the behaviour.

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