According to a new study, the number of car accidents where drivers had traces of marijuana doubled since its legalization in Washington in late 2012. With the pending marijuana legalization in almost 11 states, the findings will present a new challenge to traffic law enforcements.
Marijuana Fata Crashes More Than Doubled
A new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety states that the fatal crashes involving drivers impaired by marijuana more than doubled from 49 in 2013 to 106 in 2014, KTAR reported. There's a limit imposed on THC level, the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana, in all the states where marijuana is legal. This regulation is also established for checking blood alcohol content levels.
"Marijuana use in driving is a growing, contributing factor to fatal crashes," said Jake Nelson, the director of traffic safety advocacy and research at the American Automobile Association (AAA). "It's a highway safety problem that we should all be concerned about," Live Science quoted.
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery discussed the case of Colorado Department of Transportation at his weekly press conference on Wednesday. Colorado is one of the many states, where medical and recreational marijuana use is legal.
"[The] number of drivers who tested positive for cannabis in fatal crashes from 2012 to 2014, the numbers went from 36 to 84," Montgomery said. He noted that the number of cases from Colorado and Washington is alarming.
Marijuana Legalization
More so, the study seemed to suggest that fatal crashes involving marijuana more than doubled once marijuana became legal within the state. The findings point out the need to create a standard in detecting drug-impaired driving.
The current legal limit THC levels on motorists are arbitrary and unscientific, Discovery News said. Since the framework is not perfect, there may be instances where innocent individuals may be charged with impaired driving when in reality, other unsafe motorists are free.
"Driving impaired under any substance, even if it is legal, is not OK, and that still constitutes impaired driving," said JP Holyak, Chairman of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Arizona. He believes that there will be no increase in road accidents if recreational marijuana is legalized in Arizona.
He pointed out that the AAA study needs to be put in context. There may be cases that drivers may be tested positive of marijuana but may not be at fault or impaired in those accidents. A sentiment that was echoed by Discovery News earlier.
Do you want marijuana to be legalized in your state? Let us know with your comments. Check out this experiment about marijuana and driving:
