GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) -The Colorado Department of Transportation is working to educate parents and teens on the dangers of using cannabis and getting behind the wheel as summer approaches.
The department is partnering with driving schools and driver license offices throughout the state with the goal of educating drivers ages 15 to 20 on how mixing marijuana and driving can lead to a DUI and other consequences.
Posters and videos sharing the dangers are being sent to 55 driving schools and 17 driver license offices across Colorado.
While use of non-medical cannabis is illegal for anyone under 21, the latest data from the state shows 40 percent of teens say it would be easy for them to get marijuana. CDOT says feedback from driving instructors indicates many students believe some cannabis products that don’t produce an odor, like edibles or THC vapes, make it easier to cover up use and impairment.
“It’s very important for them to know the dangers of cannabis at their young age, but it’s incredibly important for them to realize that it’s dangerous to mix cannabis or any kind of impairing substance with driving,” said Tamara Rollison, CDOT spokesperson. “It’s so important and when you’re learning to drive, that’s the time to get into really good, safe habits.”
Last year, cannabis impairment was suspected in over a thousand crashes across Colorado.
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