Media reporting on cannabis-impaired driving and related traffic policy in Canada

• Published in: Transportation research interdisciplinary perspectives Vol. 25; p. 101120
• Main Authors: Boicu, Bianca, Buhay, Renmart, Yuan, Yue, Brubacher, Jeffrey
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Cannabis; Cannabis legalization; Impaired driving; Media; Media framing; Traffic laws; Media; Media framing; Traffic laws; Cannabis; Impaired driving; Cannabis legalization
• ISSN: 2590-1982; 2590-1982
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trip.2024.101120

•Media reports depicted driving after cannabis use as dangerous.•Legal changes to driving laws were framed in terms of preventing impaired driving.•Concerns were expressed over police preparedness to detect impaired drivers.•Concerns were expressed over validity of roadside drug screening devices.•Overall media portrayal did not differ markedly between British Columbia and Ontario. In 2018, Canada legalized recreational use of cannabis and introduced new traffic laws to deter impaired driving. These laws received a significant amount of media coverage during legalization. News media framing of driving after cannabis use (DACU) and related traffic policy can influence public opinion on these issues. To understand how DACU and related traffic policy is constructed in Canadian media, examine whether this has changed over time since legalization, and describe and contrast media representation in British Columbia and Ontario. A database of Canadian news content (Canadian Newsstream) was searched for reports published between January 2017 and December 2021. A total of 261 media reports with a focus on DACU published in English in British Columbia and Ontario were selected. Reports were analyzed using content and thematic analyses. The majority of reports depicted DACU as dangerous and legal changes were typically framed in terms of preventing impaired driving. Concerns were frequently expressed over the reliability and accuracy of roadside oral fluid testing and police readiness to detect impaired drivers. Media description of the effects of cannabis legalization on DACU became more positive after legalization. Media portrayal did not differ markedly between British Columbia and Ontario. Media coverage of the new laws may have enhanced their deterrent effect by informing the public about safety risks and legal repercussions associated with DACU. However, mixed messages about law enforcements’ ability to detect and punish impaired drivers may have encouraged DACU by signalling the uncertainty of punishment.