Project Shows Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Accidents

Daniel Rees, professor of economics at the University of Denver has co-authored a study with D. Mark Anderson, assistant professor of economics at Montana State University that shows that when states make laws that allow for the sale and purchase of medicinal marijuana, the number of traffic accidents goes down.

Rees and Anderson found the correlation when comparing state traffic fatality numbers against those states that have passed laws allowing medical marijuana for those with a prescription for its use. While it's not exactly clear why it happens, it appears that it's because more drivers are driving under the influence of marijuana rather than alcohol. Most researchers agree that alcohol impacts driving skills far more than marijuana, hence, the differences in statistics.

The team got their data by compiling the work of several previous studies done on highway accidents and causes, as well as from public state police databases. It is believed the study is the first done that compares automobile accident statistics with widespread marijuana use.

What's missing from the report, whether intentionally or not, is the idea that it's only so-called marijuana needed people that is causing the change in statistics. The underlying truth is that most states that allow medical marijuana don't bother policing the system, which means, many, if not most of those arriving with prescriptions in hand, don't really have a medical need. They simply wish to get high. And this is why the statistics are showing lowered crash rates, because so many people who would normally be driving around drunk, instead choose to drive around high, because they can, and because it's cheaper and the penalties for being caught doing so are not as steep.

The authors point out that regardless of who is smoking the medical weed, the bottom line is, if people are allowed access to it, traffic accidents can be reduced, and that is certainly something to take notice of, they say.

Another unfortunate part of the study is that the team didn't offer actual numbers, instead opting to note that both accidents and fatalities went down a lot, rather than writing down how much exactly.

Another pertinent fact to emerge from the study was the fact that it turns out that the highest percentage of medicinal marijuana smokers just happens to coincide with the age and gender range of those that are involved in the highest number of accidents, i.e. young males.