The incidence of highway auto accidents rose by 6 percent in four states where recreational marijuana has been legalized, according to
The research looked at crash statistics in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, comparing it to data from neighboring states where recreational marijuana has not been legalized.
The HLDI study looked at insurance claims and found that the frequency of auto accident claims per insured vehicle rose by an average of 6 percent following the start of retail sales of recreational marijuana in all four states between January 2012 through October 2017.
A separate IIHS study looked at police reports of crashes that occurred before and after retail sales began in Colorado, Oregon and Washington between 2012- 2016. Analysts found that the three states combined had a 5.2 increase in the rate of crashes per million vehicle registrations compared with neighboring states that did not legalize recreational marijuana.
See photos of Louisiana's first legal harvest of medical marijuana
Alaska, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and the District of Columbia also allow recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older. There are another 22 states that allow medical marijuana and 15 states that have laws that allow the use of specific cannabis products for specific medical conditions. Louisiana is one of these states.
IIHS-HLDI President David Harkey said in a press release that their research on marijuana and auto accidents “indicates that legalizing marijuana for all uses is having a negative impact on the safety of our roads.”
He added that states exploring legalizing marijuana should consider this effect on highway safety.
Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal in all 50 states.
The research, however, also notes that unlike alcohol it can be difficult to determine a driver’s impairment when they’ve used marijuana.
A positive test for THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol the primary psychoactive component of marijuana) does not mean that the driver was impaired at the time of the auto accident. Habitual marijuana users can test positive for the drug even weeks after using it.
The study also notes that in many states more drivers in crashes are tested for alcohol than for drugs. In a lot of cases when drivers are tested, other drugs are often found in combination with alcohol.
“Despite the difficulty of isolating the specific effects of marijuana impairment on crash risk, the evidence is growing that legalizing its use increases crashes,” Harkey says.
Maria Clark writes about immigration, health, doctors, patients and health care in Louisiana for NOLA.com | The Times Picayune and NOLA Mundo. Reach her at mclark@nola.com. Or follow her on Twitter at @MariaPClark1 .Sumber: https://bit.ly/2yLOWhm
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