Massachusetts Is the First State to Incorporate Marijuana Education Into Driver’s Ed Courses

For the first time, Massachusetts’s obligatory driver’s education programme for young drivers under the age of 18 includes instruction on the dangers of driving while under the influence of cannabis.

Launched earlier this month, the initiative is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, AAA Northeast, and the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, and will be provided to roughly 50,000 new drivers annually.

“Shifting Gears: The Blunt Truth about Marijuana and Driving” is the title of the 25-minute video. There are many who are sceptical, drawing parallels to the DARE programme for drug and alcohol education that was widely discredited in the ’80s and ’90s.

Others, such as Kimberly Roy, commissioner of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Department, are optimistic. As part of the show, she discusses it with Robin Young of Here & Now.