The potential impact of cannabis legalization on driving after cannabis use is an important public health consideration. The current paper examined the prevalence of driving after cannabis use and being a passenger of a driver who recently consumed cannabis pre- and five years post- legalization of recreational cannabis.

National population-based surveys were conducted annually between 2018 and 2023 as part of the International Cannabis Policy Study (ICPS). A total of 93,933 participants aged 16–65 years from Canada were included in the analysis. Logistic regression models assessed trends in driving after cannabis use by age, sex-at-birth, income adequacy, ethnicity, and educational attainment.

In 2018, 5.7 % of all respondents and 19.9 % of past 12-month consumers reported driving within 2 h of cannabis consumption in the past year. Driving after consumption increased moderately in the five years post legalization among all participants, with a significantly higher prevalence reported in 2022 (8.8 % vs. 5.7 %, OR = 1.43, 95 % CI = 1.22, 1.66, p < 0.001) and 2023 (7.6 % vs. 5.7 %, OR = 1.20, 95 % CI = 1.03, 1.40, p = 0.018) than in 2018. However, driving after consumption remained stable among past 12-month consumers, with a moderately lower prevalence in 2023 than in 2018 (18.3 % vs. 19.9 %, OR = 0.81, 95 % CI = 0.68, 0.97, p = 0.024).

The increase in the overall rate of driving after use likely reflects the increase in consumption among all Canadians following recreational cannabis legalization. There was no evidence to support changes in the overall prevalence of passenger behaviour following legalization. Differences across sociodemographic variables are discussed.