Max Dorfman, Analysis Author, Triple-I
Leisure marijuana use is related to vehicle crash developments, in response to a paper printed within the Journal of Research on Alcohol and Medication. Nonetheless, the research additionally famous that retail marijuana gross sales aren’t solely chargeable for the final rise in accidents.
Legalization of leisure marijuana use was correlated to a 6.5 % development within the price of crashes involving accidents and a 2.3 % rise in these involving fatalities. With legalization and retail gross sales, the research discovered that the full affect was a 5.8 % rise in harm crash charges and a 4.1 % enhance in deadly crash charges.
However these outcomes had been inconsistent throughout states, with the results on harm crash charges various from a 7 % lower to an 18 % rise and deadly crash charges starting from a 4 % enhance to a ten % decline. Colorado skilled the most important rise in harm crash charges after legalization and retail gross sales, coming in at 17.8 %. Nevada skilled the biggest decline in deadly crashes, at 9.8 %.
“Legalization removes the stigma of marijuana use, whereas the onset of retail gross sales merely will increase entry,” stated lead researcher Charles M. Farmer of the Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security. “However entry to marijuana isn’t tough, even in locations with out retail gross sales. Customers who beforehand prevented driving excessive could really feel that it’s okay after legalization.”
Farmer added, “Research in search of a direct causal hyperlink between marijuana use and crash danger have been inconclusive.” Not like with alcohol, no goal measure but exists for the way impaired a marijuana person has turn into.
As Triple-I notes, most research discover that marijuana use leads to impaired coordination, reminiscence, associative studying, consideration, cognitive flexibility, and response time. Though it’s clear from this analysis that driving skill is diminished, the extent of impairment continues to be studied.
Youthful drivers are at increased danger of site visitors accidents than older drivers, with youthful male drivers at excessive danger. Early proof signifies that youthful male drivers are almost definitely to drive below the affect of marijuana.
One other research, within the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, suggests continual, heavy use of leisure marijuana impairs driving expertise, even when the motive force is just not excessive, with those that began frequently utilizing marijuana earlier than 16 years outdated exhibiting the worst outcomes.
These outcomes exhibit that the results of marijuana differ broadly throughout demographic teams, making it all of the extra necessary for everybody to be cautious when utilizing the drug.
