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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Monday, October 22, 2018

Car Crashes Up in States with Recreational Marijuana

Four states that allow recreational marijuana - Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington - have seen car crashes increase by 5.2%. While it's unclear whether this is the result of increased marijuana use, it'slikely insurance rates in those states are on their way up. Nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see this study repeated with more states. The control states they used have much lower population densities, and thus fewer cars on the road, so I'm a bit skeptical of these results.

Anonymous said...

I call bullshit. Probably done by an insurance company so they can raise the rates, again

Anonymous said...

Smokers were probably hit from behind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK8FmhNpBMg

Anonymous said...

Total crap. How about states that allow drinking. Absolute hogwash.

Anonymous said...

wait, this administration looking at a scientific report? Let's wait to see what the tweet says.

Anonymous said...

Colorado has also seen a decline in use of hard drugs, when many predicted an increase, calling pot a gateway drug. It's too early to tell. The revenue predictions seem to have been accurate, if not low.

Anonymous said...

The love affair from the politicians with legalization. Follow the money.

Anonymous said...

Did you ever smoke pot Bernie?

Anonymous said...

@4:55,
States that allow drinking? Somehow, I believe that's all of them, plus DC. That means there are already plenty of statistics for that demographic.

Anonymous said...

Both reports are done by the insurance industry! Fake Reports!

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Did you ever smoke pot Bernie?"

I fail to see what your question has to do with this story. I smoked it a few times but did not like it.

"Both reports are done by the insurance industry! Fake Reports!"

Just bc you don't like a report does not make it fake. You sound like Donald Trump.

"I call bullshit. Probably done by an insurance company so they can raise the rates, again"

Auto insurance is private sector. If this report is bullshit, there will be some insurance companies that offer lower rates. If it is accurate and there are more crashes, rates are going to go up.

Anonymous said...

Let's meet at the Nazareth park sometime and smoke some of the medically prescribed strains, perhaps you'll like it. What ails you?

Anonymous said...

Compared to the sociatal costs of prohibition, legalization is still a no brainer.

Anonymous said...

Driving after smoking pot is as dangerous as driving over the legal limit of alcohol, If you dont believe that, you are a fool.

Anonymous said...

I have a medical marijuana license for PTSD. I NEVER would use this medication or my anti-anxiety medication and get behind the wheel 1) for all the obvious reasons about hurting myself or others, but 2) PA was proactive in legalizing this medication which has such great benefits that I don't want to contribute to the statistics of increased vehicular accidents.


Pass a bill: If a person is driving while using marijuana, not only take his driver's license away, but also his medical marijuana license.

Anonymous said...

9:39 (Trump 2020)

Anonymous said...

"Drug use tops booze for first time in fatal U.S. crashes: study"

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drugs-crashes-idUSKBN17S2P5

This was April 2017 (as reported by Reuters). One year later, the results of this experiment are starting to add up. It is very difficult for me to believe that politicians didn't see this coming. We have years of statistics of people who drive drunk with alcohol being legal. I'm sure there are "responsible" pot smokers just like there are "responsible" drinkers, but given that these statistics are bearing out that there is a significant percentage of people who aren't either, why would you open the door? To me, what these legislators are saying is that the taxes made from legalizing pot is more important than the lives of the citizens.



Anonymous said...

Alcohol kills far more than pot or heroin, for that matter. Prohibition made things worse with alcohol. We're reaping the same problems with pot. Prohibitions don't work. They make things worse. These are the perils of a free society.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I do not dispute that alcohol is far more dangerous. So what? I am sure insurers like at DUIs in determining insurance rates. I think it’s probably too soon to say whether recreational marijuana leads to an increase in unsafe driving but find the study something to consider. I am troubled by the mad rush to introduce BOTH marijuana and alcohol at every frickin’ convenience store.

Anonymous said...

@11:39

According to statistics from the NIH (2015), 88,000 people died from alcohol and alcohol related deaths.
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics

Also, according to the NIH (2017), 72,000 people died from drug overdoses.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates

So, I wouldn't say "far more", but yes, there are more deaths resulting from alcohol related illnesses than drug overdoses. However, I understand that these drug deaths are purely overdose rates (which typically doesn't include pot) and aren't calculated to involve driving, long term use and organ failure (as alcoholics suffer), etc. My guess is that if you add fatalities from auto accidents and other forms of accidents, the rate would be higher, but I'm just guessing. So, not a pure apples/oranges comparison but close enough from what I can find.

Anonymous said...

Ah, Calvinism. When we cater to the least responsible, we all become less responsible. When someone figures out how to bubble wrap society, he or she will make a fortune.

Anonymous said...

Best place to get high in Nazareth is anywhere except the park. Even styre dabbles behind the fire company.

Anonymous said...

from one of the studies

"Although marijuana-positive drivers were overrepresented in the crash-involved population, when researchers controlled for demographic factors (age, gender, ethnicity) and alcohol use, they didn't find an increase in crash risk associated with marijuana use. The analyses were unable to examine the crash risk associated with different amounts of the drug."

"they didn't find an increase in crash risk associated with marijuana use."
https://www.iihs.org/iihs/sr/statusreport/article/50/4/3

and
"A 2016 study by researchers at Columbia University examined traffic fatalities in 19 states before and after enacting medical marijuana laws. Although on average there was an 11 percent reduction in fatality rates, the results varied across states. Seven states saw a reduction in fatalities, while two had an increase, and the other 10 didn't change.

Anonymous said...

How much money is saved in the criminal justice system by legalizing?

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