US States With Medical Marijuana Laws See Decline In Traffic Fatalities

Due to widespread urbanization and unsafe road environment, traffic-related fatalities have become one of the biggest causes of death across the world. Owing to unsafe driving behavior, more and more people are exposed to traffic hazards than ever before. However, the risk of motor crash increases manifold for those who go behind the wheel after getting high on drugs or alcohol. Such people continue to wreak havoc on the road not only for themselves but also for others on the road.

An addiction to substances like alcohol or marijuana is usually considered as the biggest culprit behind the traffic-related fatalities. In the current scenario, marijuana is the most widely used addictive, especially among the teenagers in the United States. The legalization of pot, it was feared, might lead to better access to the drug, thereby leading to a rise in traffic-related accidents and casualties.

However, a recent report by Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University has dismissed such claims, pointing at the significant decrease in traffic fatalities post the enactment of medical marijuana laws. Surprisingly, the states that had implemented the medical marijuana laws witnessed a 26 percent decline in the rates of traffic fatalities as compared to the states that did not enact new laws against the prevailing federal law that prohibits marijuana even for medical purpose.

Marijuana laws and fatal or nonfatal traffic injuries

The study, published online in the American Journal of Public Health, observed that the reduction was more profound in people aged between 15 and 44 24 years, as well as those aged between 25 and 44 years. But at the same time, this group represents a high percentage of those involved in the frequent use of medical marijuana.

Further, the decline in road accidents was recorded at 11 percent for those aged 15-24 years, whereas it was 12 percent for those aged 25-44 and a mere 9 percent for those aged 45 years and older. At 5 percent, even operational dispensaries were found to be associated with a significant reduction in traffic fatalities in those aged 25 to 44 years.

Difference in pattern in some states

However, the researchers found that the scenario was not same across all the states. "In California, after an initial immediate reduction of 16 percent in traffic fatalities and in New Mexico, after an immediate post-law reduction of 17.5 percent, the laws were actually associated with gradual increases in fatality rates," observed the report. According to the America Auto Association (AAA), between 2010 and 2014, nearly 10 percent of drivers in Washington, who were involved in fatal car crashes, were tested positive for marijuana use.

Meanwhile, it was found that a lower traffic fatality rates in these states could be possibly due to lower levels of alcohol-impaired driving, apart from other measures such as improved infrastructure or the quality of health care systems. However, a further research is needed to explore the benefits of implementing the laws at the local level, said the researchers.

Road to recovery

Marijuana abuse can lead to dependence and may force a person to switch to alternative illicit substances, like alcohol or other drugs, to get a high. It is imperative to conduct more studies to understand the possible dangers of the drug or the impediments that the unbridled use of the drug may cause, such as impaired driving or people substituting the drug with alcohol for quick and ecstatic effect.

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