Massachusetts is first state to add marijuana component to drivers’ ed classes

Massachusetts is the first state to create a curriculum teaching the risks of cannabis-impaired driving as part of its mandatory driver’s education for new drivers under 18. The program, rolled out earlier this month, is a partnership between the state’s Registry of Motor Vehicles, the AAA Northeast, and the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission and will be taught to about 50,000 new drivers a year.

The 25-minute video is called “Shifting Gears: The Blunt Truth about Marijuana and Driving.” Some people are critical — they compare it to the DARE program for alcohol and drug education that largely failed in the 1980s and ’90s. Others, including Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commissioner Kimberly Roy are enthusiastic. She talks to Here & Now‘s Robin Young about the program.