What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Addiction.

Where was this research published?

Published in Addiction (Abingdon, England) on July 27, 2026.

Text-based support may curb cannabis-impaired driving

Q: What did this research study find?

The personalized feedback plus *motivational interviewing* text intervention led to **66% fewer cannabis-impaired driving episodes at 3 months** than standard information.

The effect of an interactive mobile phone-based brief intervention on driving under the influence of cannabis among emerging adults: A randomized controlled trial.

Addiction (Abingdon, England) • July 27, 2026 • Highly Relevant

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AI Summary

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) tested whether a brief, mobile phone–based intervention could reduce driving under the influence of cannabis among 149 emerging adults who reported doing so at least three times in the previous three months. Participants received either personalized feedback plus interactive motivational interviewing text messages, personalized feedback alone, or standard substance-use information.

The combined feedback-and-text-message intervention produced faster reductions: participants reported 66% fewer cannabis-impaired driving episodes after 3 months, with reductions maintained at 6 months (60% fewer) compared with the information-control group. Personalized feedback alone was linked to a delayed reduction of 75% at 6 months. However, the interventions did not significantly change driving after simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use. The findings suggest that brief, remotely delivered feedback—especially when paired with interactive messages—may help cannabis users make safer driving decisions.

💡 Key Findings

The personalized feedback plus motivational interviewing text intervention led to 66% fewer cannabis-impaired driving episodes at 3 months than standard information.

High

90%

The combined intervention maintained a 60% reduction at 6 months, suggesting its effects persisted beyond the initial intervention.

High

90%

Personalized feedback alone produced a delayed but larger reported reduction of 75% at 6 months compared with the information-control group.

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90%

The interventions did not significantly reduce driving after simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use.

High

90%

📄 Original Abstract

To examine the efficacy of a mobile phone-based brief intervention aimed at reducing driving under the influence of cannabis among emerging adult cannabis users in the context of a randomized 3-group randomized clinical trial (RCT). Phase II, 3-arm RCT conducted from October 2022 to September 2025, with participants randomized to one of three conditions. Participants were recruited from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY, and the surrounding community within a 60-mile radius. All interventions were delivered remotely via mobile phone. 149 emerging adults who reported driving under the influence of cannabis at least three times in the past 3 months were enrolled in the RCT. Participants in the personalized feedback and motivational interviewing text messaging group (PF + MIT; n = 45) received personalized feedback on substance-impaired driving plus a series of interactive, motivational interviewing-style text messages delivered by a trained graduate student over a single session. Participants in the personalized feedback group (PF; n = 50) received personalized feedback only. The information control group (IC; n = 54) received standard, non-personalized substance use information. The primary outcome was the number of times driving under the influence of cannabis in the past 3 months, which was self-reported via mobile web survey during follow-up assessments at 3 and 6 months post-intervention. The secondary outcome was the number of times driving after simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use in the past 3 months. Negative binomial mixed models analyses indicated that participants in the PF + MIT group showed statistically significantly greater reductions in driving under the influence of cannabis at 3 months compared with the IC group [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.34, 66% reduction; P < 0.001] and maintained reductions at 6 months (IRR = 0.40, 60% reduction; P < 0.001). Participants in the PF group demonstrated statistically significant reductions in driving under the influence of cannabis at 6 months relative to the IC group (IRR = 0.25, 75% reduction; P < 0.001). No statistically significant differences over time between groups were found for the number of times driving after simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis. A randomized clinical trial found that personalized feedback and motivational interviewing text messaging accelerated reductions in driving under the influence of cannabis at 3-month follow-up compared with controls, and personalized feedback alone showed delayed reductions in driving under the influence of cannabis at 6-month follow-up compared with controls.