1. Drug trends: The Vermont perspective
Perception of Harm | Vermont Crash Data
2018 Drug Impairment Categories | Polydrug
Drug trends: The Vermont perspective
Trooper Jay Riggen
Vermont State Police
St. Albans Field Station

2. objective Increase awareness of Vermont’s drug trends to
Reduce FATAL and SERIOUS INJURY crashes
and engagement in dangerous drugs

3. The perception of harm 2017 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey:
66% report their parents would think it
is wrong for them to use alcohol (2015: 72%)
76% report their parents would think it
is wrong for them to smoke marijuana (2015: 80%)
36% believe binge drinking regularly “greatly risks harm”
24% believe using marijuana regularly “greatly risks harm”
Several perceptions around use of and access to substances changed statistically in 2017: • Students were significantly LESS likely to believe: o Alcohol (68% vs 69%), marijuana (58% vs 62%), and cigarettes (55% vs 61%) are easy or very easy to get. o Their parents would think it was wrong for them to use alcohol (66% vs 72%), or marijuana (76% vs 80%)
• Students were significantly MORE likely to believe it is wrong or very wrong for someone their age to smoke cigarettes (84% vs 78%) or drink alcohol (54% vs 53%). • A third of students (36%) believed people would greatly risk harm by binge drinking regularly. A quarter (24%) believed using marijuana regularly, and two-thirds (68%) believed smoking a pack or more of cigarettes would cause a great risk of harm. (revised question).
Source:

4. The perception of harm
In the past 30 days…

5. The perception of harm
In the past 30 days…

6. 2018 Vermont crash data
As of November 13, 2018: Fatalities: 57   Total – 39 vehicle operators, 15 passengers, 3 pedestrians

7. 2018 Vermont crash data
Every year since 2013, cannabis involved fatalities have out-paced alcohol-only fatalities.

8. 2018 drug impairment categories

9. 2018 drug impairment categories
Toxicology results 2018 to date.
Historically:
CNS Depressants
Cannabis
Narcotic Analgesics
Stimulants

10. 2018 drug impairment categories: Cannabis
As of 10/23/2018: Updated data on Vermont’s DRE confirmation toxicology on cases that are Delta-9 THC positive. “Cannabis only” means Delta-9 THC (and it’s metabolites) were the only substances detected in the sample.
Discussion points:
Legal limit 5 ng? (Colorado arbitrary)
Majority of impairment cases are under 5 ng
Polydrug prevalence = Cannabis and ?

11. Polydrug
More than one drug / drug category is present in >70% of Drug Influence Evaluations
Alcohol + ? = Synergistic Effect
Narcotic Analgesics + CNS Stimulants
Cannabis + ?
CNS Depressants + ?

12. Polydrug
As attention turns to heroin …
Whack-a-Mole