Traffic Death Rates Fell In States That Legalized Marijuana
Study Shows Legalizing Marijuana Linked to Decrease in Traffic Fatalities.
A recent study reveals that states which legalized marijuana had decreases in traffic fatalities in the years following the change in policy.
In contrast, states where marijuana remained illegal saw either stable or slightly increasing rates of traffic fatalities during the same period.
“As of yet, studies have failed to show that legalization of cannabis has resulted in any significant increase in traffic fatalities in the places where it has been legalized. However, the same cannot be said for alcohol, an intoxicant that remains legal, widely-available, and deeply ingrained in our culture.”
Researchers analyzed traffic fatality data from four states (California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada) that legalized adult-use cannabis in 2016. They compared these states' vehicle death rates with rates in five states where marijuana remained illegal during that time frame.
These five states were Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming. None of the four legalized states witnessed an increase in traffic deaths in the three years following legalization; instead, most saw declines.
Collectively, these states experienced an 11.6 percent decrease in traffic death rates from 2016 to 2019. This surpassed the national average decline of 10.6 percent during the same period.
