The marijuana education project aimed to reduce drug-impaired driving in Texas by educating key traffic safety stakeholders about the dangers of cannabis-impaired driving. The curriculum incorporated best practices for improving traffic safety, drawing from recommendations of states that have legalized cannabis for adult use. Through outreach and education, this project aimed to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes caused by drug-impaired and polysubstance driving.
Benefits to Texas Transportation Safety
The marijuana education project aimed to reduce drug-impaired driving in Texas by educating key traffic safety stakeholders about the dangers of cannabis-impaired driving. The curriculum incorporated best practices for improving traffic safety, drawing from recommendations of states that have legalized cannabis for adult use. Through outreach and education, this project aimed to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes caused by drug-impaired driving.
Project Need and Approach
As of FY25, cannabis remains illegal for recreational use in Texas, with possession of even small amounts being subject to criminal penalties. However, the state has expanded its medical cannabis program under the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP), now allowing access for patients with chronic pain and other health conditions. House Bill 46, effective September 2025, also broadened the range of approved product forms and increased THC limits per dose.
Meanwhile, hemp-derived THC products such as Delta-8 and THC-A are legal to possess but face new restrictions on retail sales and marketing under Governor Abbott’s Executive Order. Despite ongoing opposition from some state leaders, regulatory efforts have focused on tightening controls rather than pursuing full prohibition.
Loopholes in Federal Law currently allow the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabis products in Texas. The worst threat to our roadways is the emergence of on-premises alcohol-licensed establishments, allowing for the sale of THC in the same setting. Lawmakers continue to debate how best to regulate intoxicating hemp products, with further legislation expected in 2027.
This project aims to share the most up-to-date information on cannabis, and its risk to the driving task, with the public and specific stakeholders already engaging in community outreach. Additionally, to have TTI staff serve as subject matter experts that those same stakeholders can rely on to assist and clarify cannabis-related questions in the future. As cannabis use grows and more data is available, Texas will continue to have a need for more education on cannabis-impaired driving. This is particularly important in the area of polysubstance driving, where THC and alcohol are combined. CRIS data indicates that cannabis becomes the number one drug category, when combined with alcohol, detected in drivers of motor vehicle crashes causing serious injuries and fatalities.
Project Activities
2025
Throughout FY25, the project delivered a comprehensive set of educational activities, trainings, publications, and outreach efforts to increase awareness about cannabis impaired driving and the emerging risks of combined alcohol and THC use. Updated training materials, including revised slides, scripts, images, and public-access folders, were distributed across all trainings to ensure consistent messaging on cannabis laws, product types, and impairment risks. These materials reached 286 participants representing judicial officials, educators, law enforcement personnel, and community leaders across Texas. Public-access folders were also provided to support continued community education. The project released several publicly accessible educational products, including the statewide learning module Crossfading in Texas: A Critical Threat to Our Roadways, published on Teachable on June 13, 2025.
The project conducted five formal training courses and several additional presentations, reaching a total of 286 individuals. Major events included the VG Young School for County Commissioners Court in Bryan with 43 participants, the Criminal Justice Conference in Georgetown with 40 participants, the Texas Statewide Impaired Driving Forum in Austin with 78 participants, the Tyler District Train the Trainer hosted by MADD and TxDOT with 32 participants, the Teacher Traffic Safety Academy in Austin with 25 participants, the MADD National Office Program Manager Training in Irving with 8 participants, and two sessions in Menard County with about 60 educators and business community members. These trainings served judicial offices, law enforcement agencies, statewide educators, national MADD program staff, and local business communities. Each event expanded stakeholder knowledge of cannabis and hemp-derived product availability, THC potency, crossfading risks, legislative developments, and statewide collaboration with traffic safety partners.
Several deliverables were produced and shared publicly during the grant year. The Environmental Scan Technical Memorandum, summarizing findings from eight smoke shop scans and a THC-serving bar in Bryan and College Station, was submitted to TxDOT on August 28, 2025. The Marijuana Policy Reference Document was submitted on June 16, approved on July 21, and published on the CADES website on July 30, 2025. The crossfading learning module and two rounds of curriculum updates were also shared publicly through Teachable for statewide access.
Beyond trainings, the project conducted several significant engagement activities that supported statewide and national collaboration. Environmental scans were conducted at eight smoke shops and one bar, providing insights into retailer education practices and the growing availability of THC products in alcohol-serving establishments. The project director attended the CANNRA External Stakeholders Meeting in Denver, Colorado, where discussions focused on product regulation challenges, impairment evaluation issues, and polysubstance use trends affecting roadway safety. Additional hosted events, including the Tyler Train the Trainer session, the Teacher Traffic Safety Academy, and the Menard County presentations, provided direct instruction to educators, law enforcement, business communities, and traffic safety specialists.
2024
TTI launched initiatives to combat marijuana-impaired driving through public education and training. Efforts included creating a strategic plan; developing an online module, Cannabis Products in Texas; and revising the marijuana and driving curriculum. The updated curriculum addressed the scope of the problem, marijuana’s effects on the body and driving, and solutions to reduce impaired driving. It also featured an expanded guidebook for public education, with instructions for dissemination and audience targeting, along with a revised self-guided training module distributed electronically.
Outreach activities included four presentations to traffic safety stakeholders and participation in a national cannabis summit to learn best practices. Using a train-the-trainer model, TTI trained over 80 individuals through workshops conducted statewide, including at the Texas Traffic Safety Conference. New topics, like hemp-derived products, were introduced based on feedback, and the online training reached a broad audience of traffic safety professionals.
These efforts raised awareness of marijuana-impaired driving risks, emphasizing the dangers of combining THC and alcohol.
Project Title: Essential Education: Marijuana and Driving
Project Start and End Dates: October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025
Author List: Christine Adams and Cody Stewart
Sponsor/Funding Source: Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)