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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri

Time: 11:54 am

Results for marijuana use

1 results found

Author: Insurance Information Institute

Title: A Rocky Road So Far: Recreational marijuana and impaired driving

Summary: As of March 11, 2019, more than 30 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico have programs that allow qualifying patients to access medical marijuana products. Another 13 states permit non-intoxicating medical marijuana products. Ten states and D.C. permit recreational marijuana, where any adult over the age of 21 can possess and use the drug. Recreational marijuana sales are booming. Many people are rightly concerned about road safety in an age of legal recreational marijuana. Alcohol-impaired driving claimed nearly 11,000 lives in the U.S. in 2017 alone. Will increasing acceptance and use of marijuana lead to a similar trend? In a 2017 report to Congress, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that "the scope and magnitude of the marijuana-impaired driving problem in this country cannot be clearly specified at this time." However, the report did note that "there are a number of indicators that suggest that a problem exists." For example, based on the available evidence, it seems clear that "stoned driving" is dangerous. This report examines the current state of knowledge related to marijuana impairment: its effects on driving abilities, how traffic safety might be impacted, and how states are grappling with the issue of "stoned driving." Key takeaways: Marijuana affects users differently but it generally impairs cognitive and motor skills. The intensity and duration of marijuana impairment depends on several factors. But most research agrees that marijuana use to some degree results in impairment in the following: coordination, memory, associative learning, attention, cognitive flexibility and reaction time. Marijuana impairment increases the risk of culpability for a car crash. And mixing marijuana and alcohol heightens risks. The more impaired the user, the more likely they are to be culpable for a traffic accident. The risks rise dramatically if the user has also consumed alcohol. Mixing both substances increases impairment greater than the net effects of each individual substance. Marijuana use could increase after recreational marijuana legalization - and the number of THC-positive drivers could increase as well. When a state legalizes marijuana, more people use the drug. More people using marijuana could mean more people driving with THC in their systems. Legalization is associated with an increase in collision claim frequency. Early evidence suggests that states with legal recreational marijuana experience higher collision claim frequency than comparable non-marijuana control states. Fatal crashes involving drivers who tested positive for THC have increased - but it remains unclear how legalization impacts fatal crash rates. While THC-positivity rates in fatal crashes has increased, there is conflicting evidence about whether legalization increases fatal crash rates.

Details: New York: The Institute, 2019. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 3, 2019 at: https://www.iii.org/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/marijuanaanddui-wp-031119.pdf

Year: 2019

Country: United States

URL: https://www.iii.org/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/marijuanaanddui-wp-031119.pdf

Shelf Number: 155275

Keywords:
Automobile Accidents
Automobile Insurance
Drugged Driving
Impaired Driving
Legalized Marijuana
Marijuana Use
Marijuana-Impaired Driving
Road Safety
Traffic Safety