A new study showed that legal recreational cannabis is linked to an increase in motor vehicle deaths.

The Study

Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago compared mortality rates in states that legalized adult-use marijuana with those that only allowed medical cannabis.

They found that recreational markets were associated with a 10% increase in motor vehicle accident deaths, with significant increases in crash fatalities in four of the seven states studied, per Medical X Press.

“To see a 10% increase in motor vehicle accident deaths associated with recreational markets is concerning,” said study first author Samantha Marinello. Moreover, “previous studies have found cannabis impairs driving ability and that driving while high is fairly common among regular cannabis users,” added.

Methods

Researchers analyzed death certificate data from 2009-2019 in seven states that legalized recreational cannabis markets – Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. They focused on three areas that have been associated with cannabis use but are not well understood: motor vehicle accidents, suicide, and opioid overdose.

Findings

According to the data collected from death certificates, there were substantial increases in crash fatalities in Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and California. The authors suggest that this may be due to increased cannabis-intoxicated driving and call for policies to reduce driving under the influence of cannabis.

Additionally, while there was no evidence that recreational markets impacted suicides, they were associated with an 11% reduction in opioid overdose fatalities, which policymakers should consider when legalizing recreational cannabis markets. In all seven states, there was a decrease that varied from 3% to 28%, per the study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.

Marinello stated that this research offers proof of possible advantages and disadvantages that policymakers need to contemplate while legalizing the recreational cannabis market.

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