Widespread substance use on college campuses within their surrounding communities poses numerous public health issues.  College student drinking has been shown to lead to deleterious effects in all areas of students’ lives, including academic performance, physical health, and general safety.  Additionally, cannabis use, while not as extensively studied as alcohol, has also been suggested to decrease student performance while potentially exacerbating mental health conditions and predispositions.  Nicotine consumption, whether it be from cigarettes or electronic delivery systems, carries risks of numerous physiological effects like respiratory insult, as well as psychological effects due to its addictive potential.  This study examines how the use of these three substances in college students may be associated with impaired driving behaviors.   

The study’s sample consists of 367 undergraduate students from a large northeastern university who completed online surveys concerning their substance use behaviors for the corresponding weekend. Inclusion criteria listed was past year alcohol use and past year cannabis and/or nicotine use.  Participants were requested to complete the weekend surveys on a consecutive basis for two weeks during three separate semesters.  The weekend was defined as Thursday through Saturday, and surveys were available for completion on Sundays.  The following measures were included in the surveys: demographics, substance use, average alcohol quantity, driving while under the influence (DUI), and riding with an impaired driver (RWID).  The data was analyzed using logistic regressions for each type of substance use combination, in addition to multilevel logistic modelling. 

Results of the analysis found students who used both alcohol and cannabis or all three substances (alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine) were found to be at least five times more likely to engage in DUI than students who used solely alcohol.  Students using all three substances were also found to be at a ten times greater risk for engaging in RWID than other use groups.  Cannabis use without other concurrent substance use was found to be associated with increased DUI reports, nine times higher than that of alcohol-only events.   

Takeaway: different substance use combinations and patterns in college students are suggested to be related to DUI and RWID behaviors, reaffirming oft-cited public health and safety concerns of undergraduate student communities.

Hultgren BA, Waldron KA, Mallett KA, Turrisi R. Alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine use as predictors of impaired driving and riding with an impaired driver among college students who engage in polysubstance use. Accident Analysis & Prevention. 2021;160:106341. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2021.106341