Earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) teamed up with the Ad Council to work out a campaign designed to discourage people from driving while under the influence of cannabis. Their most recent round of ads have been released just in time for the 2025 holiday season.
One of the ads that is getting the most attention features a young man who claims that cannabis makes him a better driver. He then goes on to cause a fatal crash. The ad is effective in its messaging. But it also represents a slight change of direction for the feds.
Tapping Into Cannabis Culture
Beginning back in the 1990s, the federal government used its powers of persuasion to convince people to stay away from cannabis entirely. The ‘just say no’ approach was a strictly prohibitionist approach based on the idea that people could be convinced that drug use was bad through a constant drumbeat of appropriate messaging.
Under normal circumstances, the approach would have worked. History shows how effective it has been in reducing smoking rates, drunk driving rates, and other undesirable habits. But it has not worked with cannabis. Instead, the pro-cannabis lobby has successfully drowned out prohibitionist messaging at the federal level.
That reality is reflected in the new ad campaign. Rather than continue the same message, the NHTSA and Ad Council are tapping into cannabis culture. They are directly addressing some of the myths the culture promulgates, including the idea that cannabis helps people drive better by making them feel more relaxed.
Impaired Driving Is a Legitimate Concern
According to a press release from the Ad Council and NHTSA, “research shows some young men don’t see the risk associated with driving while high – and even more concerning, some even believe it makes them better drivers.” The press release goes on to explain that cannabis reduces reaction times and impairs both coordination and judgment.
The new ad campaign isn’t designed to convince people to avoid trying marijuana. Rather, it points to young men who are already using it. It also points to a more important principle: there is never a legitimate excuse for driving high.
It Is a Mind-Altering Drug
Cannabis advocates have worked so hard to overcome cannabis’ negative perceptions that they have forgotten to inform people that it is still a mind-altering drug. The previously mentioned research demonstrates as much. People simply do not understand the dangers of cannabis-related behaviors because advocacy has largely convinced them that cannabis is harmless. It is not.
A person who hooks up with Salt Lake City’s BeehiveMed.com to obtain a medical cannabis card will ultimately be purchasing a mind-altering drug at the local medical cannabis pharmacy. Hundreds of miles away, a recreational user purchasing cannabis at a Colorado dispensary will also be buying something that will alter his state of mind.
Neither customer has a valid reason to drive while under the influence. The medical user should not partake in the parking lot and then attempt to drive home. The recreational consumer should not jump behind the wheel of his car after several hours of partying.
Heed What the Ads Say
If you are a cannabis user – whether you use medically or recreationally – heed what the new ads are telling you. It is not safe to drive while under the influence. Impairment is dangerous no matter the substance that causes it.
Cannabis does not make you a better driver. Do not wait until you cause a horrific accident to discover that reality. Be smart and do not drive while you are still feeling the effects of cannabis consumption.