CDOT, Lyft and Marijuana Industry Group Join Forces to Promote Marijuana Safety

Starting this month, marijuana users in Colorado will be offered discounted Lyft rides as part of the 320 Movement's initiative to plan for a ride before getting high. CDOT, Lyft and the Marijuana Industry Group (MIG) are behind the 320 Movement—a campaign that launched last spring to encourage marijuana users to plan ahead for a safe, sober ride before they get high.

Through April 2018, the 320 Movement is providing monthly discounted Lyft rides to marijuana users and will send users to 320movement.com to obtain the discounts and learn about the dangers of driving high. Seventeen percent of DUI arrests last year involved marijuana, according to the Colorado State Patrol (CSP).

"Despite the fact that marijuana impairs judgement, coordination, decision-making and reaction time, an alarming number of users–55 percent–still believe that it is safe to drive under the influence of marijuana," said Sam Cole, CDOT's traffic safety communications manager. "We have partnered with Lyft and MIG in an effort to combat this belief while also providing marijuana users with a safe ride, so they don't even have to consider driving high."

CDOT and Lyft launched the 320 Movement in March 2017, a month before Denver's Civic Center Park's celebration of cannabis culture on April 20—more popularly known as 420—to remind the tens of thousands of people expected to attend to plan for a safe ride first. The goal? To make 320 as well known as 420. The spring 320 Movement push included free and discounted Lyft rides throughout the month of April. In total, 3,800 Lyft discount codes were retrieved with nearly 1,200 being redeemed.

Leading up to April 20, Lyft also released a fleet of 17 vehicles wrapped with green "Plan a ride before you're high" messaging on the roads across metro Denver.

"Marijuana Industry Group is proud to continue this important partnership with CDOT and Lyft and to help extend the 320 Movementride share program, the first of its kind," said Kristi Kelly, executive director of MIG. "Our ask is simple: If you choose to legally consume cannabis, plan ahead and don't get behind the wheel. The 320 Movement is important, because we are offering an easy alternative to driving, and discounted rides make it even easier. The reduction of impaired driving is a shared priority, and state government and Colorado's cannabis industry are united in their ongoing commitment to raising awareness of, and reducing the incidence of, any impairment while driving."

As part of the 320 Movement continuation campaign, CDOT will deliver toolkits to 125 Colorado dispensaries to encourage them to promote marijuana safety information and the discounted Lyft ride codes to their customers. The toolkits include window clings and postcards for dispensaries to display and distribute, as well as social media assets and suggested captions and hashtags for Facebook and Instagram. Catchy messaging, such as "Puff, puff, pass the driving to Lyft" and "If you load it, CDOT will help you Lyft it," aims to resonate with marijuana users and raise awareness of the alternatives to driving high.

"Helping reduce the number of Coloradans driving high is an important and long-term goal for Lyft," said Gabe Cohen, Lyft Colorado general manager. "We are excited to accelerate our work with CDOT to help educate the community about the dangers of driving high and we are absolutely committed to continue to provide a safe and affordable alternative through Lyft."

CDOT's partnership with Lyft and MIG is part of their Drive High, Get a DUI campaign, which aims to educate drivers about the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana with the goal of reducing the number of drug-related DUIs, traffic crashes and fatalities. For more information on marijuana impaired driving, visit the CDOT website.

Lyft was founded in June 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer to improve people's lives with the world's best transportation. Lyft is the fastest growing rideshare company in the U.S. and is available to 95 percent of the U.S. population. Lyft is preferred by drivers and passengers for its safe and friendly experience, and its commitment to effecting positive change for the future of our cities.

Marijuana Industry Group (MIG), the leading trade association for Colorado's licensed business, was founded in 2010 by cannabis business owners and supporters to help craft Colorado's earliest medical marijuana regulatory framework—which was the world's first licensed, taxed and regulated model. MIG has cultivated strong relationships at the highest levels of state and local government, allowing for real-time education, access, and advancement of practical policy. As the oldest, largest and most diverse trade association in the state, MIG represents the interests of, and advocates on behalf of, the rapidly evolving needs of the leaders of regulated marijuana industry in Colorado.