Study Finds Correlation Between Car Crashes and Cannabis Legalization

 

A new study by a large automobile safety organization shows a connection between legalized cannabis and fatal traffic accidents. The survey from the AAA foundations for Traffic Safety discovered that after recreational marijuana was legalized in Washington, the amount of deaths by car accidents have doubled. AAA discovered the effect on driving habits was wrong about nine months from the passage of the bill in December 2012, so they compared the statistics of 2012 with those of 2013 and 2014.

AAA discovered that in 2013, forty-nine drivers involved in a fatal car accident had cannabis in their system. That number increased to 106 drivers in 2014, growing from eight percent to seventeen percent of all fatal car accidents. Some of these drivers also had alcohol or other drugs in their system. In 2014, thirty-one percent of all traffic deaths across the country had one or both drivers inebriated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated.

In the fall, Massachusetts voters are going to vote on a ballot measure that will legalize cannabis for recreational use. A new poll found that voters are not sure of the issues. Peter Kissinger, President, and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, said that the study on the impact of Washington’s cannabis legalization and safety is very revealing for what could come for other states legalizing marijuana.

“The significant increase in fatal crashes involving marijuana is alarming,” Kissinger said.

Mary Maguire, public affairs and legislative director for AAA Northeast, stated that the study should be concerning for other states thinking about legalizing the drug.

“The major takeaway of this study is we want to create awareness among drivers that marijuana can impair safety,” said Maguire. “Driving is already a demanding task and when you add a drug that impairs our ability to perform that task effectively, it’s concerning.”

---

MAPH Enterprises, LLC | (305) 414-0128 | 1501 Venera Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33146 | new@marijuanastocks.com