No Pot Luck for Teens
by James C. Fell
Fewer teens use marijuana than alcohol, and it’s less of a factor in car crashes. But the drug still poses real dangers when teens are behind the wheel.
How so? Marijuana is typically smoked, and when it is, the chemicals pass very quickly from the lungs to the bloodstream to the brain. This releases dopamine in the brain’s reward center creating the pleasurable feelings or the “high” from the chemical. However, other effects impact a number of critical driving skills...
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James C. Fell is a Senior Research Scientist with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) in Calverton, MD. He has conducted research on the effects of underage drinking laws, methods to increase teen safety belt usage, enforcement intensity measures and impaired driving on the roads, and studies on responsible beverage service, alcohol ignition interlock laws, and alcohol monitoring devices on impaired driving offenders. Mr. Fell formerly worked at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and has 48 years of traffic safety and alcohol research experience. He received the Widmark Award from the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety in 2013 for outstanding, sustained and meritorious contribution to the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety.
