Legalizing Marijuana Linked to Increase in Driving While High, Traffic Deaths

Marijuana

A study published this month in The New England Journal of Medicine shows Canada saw a dramatic increase in driving while high following legalization of marijuana in 2018.

The study examined 4,339 drivers treated after car accidents in British Columbia.

Researchers studied levels of THC — the active ingredient in marijuana — found in the blood of injured drivers.

The study’s authors concluded that, “the prevalence of moderately injured drivers with a THC level of at least 2 ng [nanograms] per milliliter in participating British Columbia trauma centers more than doubled” after Canada legalized marijuana in 2018.

Researchers noted that the increase in driving while high was largest among older drivers and male drivers.

These findings track with other research about the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana following legalization.

In 2020 a AAA Foundation study found that the estimated number of drivers involved in fatal crashes in Washington State doubled after legalization of marijuana.

Another AAA Foundation study published last year found that, “People who use both alcohol and marijuana are some of the most dangerous drivers on the road,” and that “drivers who use both marijuana and alcohol were significantly more prone to driving under the influence of alcohol versus those who only drink alcohol but do not use marijuana.”

In September of 2020 the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area released a report that found:

* Since recreational marijuana was legalized in 2013, traffic deaths in which drivers tested positive for marijuana increased 135% while all Colorado traffic deaths increased 24%.

* Since recreational marijuana was legalized, traffic deaths involving drivers who tested positive for marijuana more than doubled from 55 in 2013 to 129 people killed in 2019. This equates to one person killed every 3 1/2 days in 2019 compared to one person killed every 6 1/2 days in 2013.

* Since recreational marijuana was legalized, the percentage of all Colorado traffic deaths that were marijuana related increased from 15% in 2013 to 25% in 2019.

States that are thinking about legalizing recreational marijuana need to take a serious look at the unintended consequences other states have suffered — such as increased car accidents and traffic fatalities

All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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Marijuana Edibles Are Poisoning Kids: NYT Column

Marijuana

In a column last week at The New York Times, Christina Caron explained how children across America are accidentally eating food and candy laced with marijuana, writing,

Marijuana edibles often look just like regular foods. Some candies even mimic familiar brands like Skittles or Starburst.

And for a young child — or anyone, really — that’s incredibly tempting.

Foods and beverages laced with cannabis have exploded in popularity. To protect children from accidentally ingesting marijuana edibles, some states have passed laws governing how these foods can be packaged and presented. Colorado, for example, requires the cannabis edibles to be contained in child-resistant packaging and include the letters “THC” (the main mind-altering chemical in cannabis). In addition, the state has banned the sale of edibles that look like people, animals or fruit.

But despite these measures, unintentional marijuana exposures have continued to climb in Colorado and elsewhere, especially in states where recreational cannabis has been legalized.

Caron goes on to note that the number of children under age six accidentally exposed to marijuana nearly tripled in Washington State after retail marijuana stores opened there, and nationwide the American Association of Poison Control Centers has noted a sharp increase in the number of calls about children exposed to marijuana edibles.

In 2019 Arkansas passed legislation restricting marijuana edibles — food or drink laced with marijuana — under the state’s medical marijuana program.

However, different recreational marijuana measures are vying for the 2022 ballot in Arkansas. If Arkansas amends its constitution to permit recreational marijuana, marijuana edibles presumably would be permitted as well.

Researchers have found time and again that marijuana is dangerous for children and adults alike.

Last spring a study out of California found infants were 35% more likely to die within a year of birth if their mother used marijuana heavily; the study also found that infants were more likely to be born preterm, have a low birth weight, and be small for their gestational age.

Researchers have linked marijuana use with psychosis, schizophrenia, depression and suicide.

A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal last year found adults under age 45 who frequently used marijuana were roughly twice as likely to suffer heart attack as adults who did not use marijuana.

A report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that states that legalized commercial marijuana sales saw self-harm rates rise by 46% among men ages 21 to 39.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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