Starting in the new year, teens who want to get their driver’s license in Massachusetts will have to take a course about the dangers of driving high.
The Bay State will be the first recreational-use cannabis state in the nation to adopt, “Shifting Gears: the Blunt Truth about Marijuana and Driving,” a AAA curriculum that educates teens on the risks of cannabis-impaired driving.
An educational video produced by AAA Northeast for Massachusetts explains how tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active chemical in marijuana, affects a person’s ability to drive safely.
“The length of time a user is impaired by THC varies by person to person. It depends on the amount of THC consumed and their level of consumption,” AAA Northeast Director of Public Affairs Diana Gugliotta explained in the video. “That’s why it’s so critical that people separate marijuana use from driving.”
The announcement was made at the Worcester Registry of Motor Vehicles by Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie, Cannabis Control Commission Commissioner Kimberly Roy, AAA Northeast Vice President of Public & Government Affairs Mary Maguire, and Newton Chief of Police John Carmichael.
“Having a curriculum that informs soon-to-be drivers is critically important because cannabis-impaired driving is a public safety risk just like alcohol but there isn’t a real understanding or appreciation for what that impairment does to you and how…
