Medical Marijuana Use Reduces Traffic Deaths, Acts As Substitute For Alcohol Consumption, Study Says

A good deal of time, money, and energy has been spent on the issue of drinking and driving. For all the hype surrounding medical marijuana these days, however, not only is anti-driving advocacy weak -- data on the effects of marijuana and traffic deaths is sparse as well. CU Denver economics professor Daniel Rees and Montana State University assistant economics professor D. Mark Anderson hope to change that.

In a recently released study, the duo analyzed state-level data for correlations between medical marijuana laws and a variety of outcomes. An abstract details some of their more surprising findings:

Legalization of medical marijuana is associated with increased use of marijuana among adults, but not among minors. In addition, legalization is associated with a nearly 9 percent decrease in traffic fatalities, most likely to due to its impact on alcohol consumption. Our estimates provide strong evidence that marijuana and alcohol are substitutes.

The authors accounted for variables including seat-belt usage, miles driven, and changes in traffic laws, though don't explicitly draw a 1-to-1 correlation between marijuana usage and decreased traffic fatalities. They further acknowledge "cannabis use impairs driving-related functions such as distance perception, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination," though drivers "under the influence of marijuana reduce their velocity, avoid risky maneuvers, and increase their 'following distances.'"

The report concludes that marijuana legalization is associated with a 12-percent drop in alcohol-related fatal crashes, and a 19-percent decrease in the fatality rate for people in their 20s. Despite the decrease in both rates, the study emphasizes it is not necessarily safer to drive under the influence of marijuana than alcohol -- just that medical-marijuana usage alters the likelihood of driving.

According to the Denver Post, the study awaits a peer-review.

READ the study by Dr. Mark Anderson and Daniel I. Rees:
Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities and Alcohol Consumption Study

Comments

[augster]

07:16 PM on 12/09/2011

For a more detailed critique of the study, see the Network CA website ( http://thenetworkca.org/research-blog/42-blog-enty/79-medical-marijuana-laws-reduce-drunk-driving-not-so-fast.html ). They've got an expert looking at it.

[augster]

07:13 PM on 12/09/2011

This is a deeply flawed analysis. Essentially, they are allowing Medical Marijuana Laws to take credit for a general trend downward in traffic fatalities. The analysis of traffic deaths does not include comparison states that would also have this trend, but do not have MML. Do not trust studies that have not gone through peer review; while not a guarantee of truth, peer review is a critical step in the scientific process.

[juna]

08:21 AM on 12/05/2011

I am not comfortable driving on pot. For me, that's the one anxiety it doesn't relieve. In fact, it increases my anxiety on the road - but that might make me a better driver.

[mutatis mutandis]

09:31 PM on 12/04/2011

http://wh.gov/jtY

[Jeremy Echols]

08:31 PM on 12/04/2011

This is a great connection I wish people had thought to make long ago. Marijuana use decreases alcohol consumption - that's been known in an anecdotal way for a long time. Less alcohol means safer people - this is just obvious.

Also, for people thinking medical marijuana means a bunch of people stoned out of their minds, here are some thoughts. If you have a glass of wine a day, it reduces stress and is actually healthy. Intoxicating effects are minimal. Drink a lot and you're drunk. If you drink a little caffeine in the morning, you wake up and think more clearly. Drink a lot and you get twitchy and can't really focus. Take an ativan and you can calm down and stave off a panic attack. Take a few too many and you are incapable of doing much but drooling or sleeping.

The point? Marijuana in small doses is therapeutic, just like those other examples. Believing it's a myth just because you only see examples of really stoned people is like believing a single beer makes people black out and puke in the living room. The amount of drug used makes a big difference to whether it's helping you deal with pain/nausea/etc or just being used to get high.

[SeaMikeC]

02:55 PM on 12/04/2011

I have been driving high for 30 yrs, and I have never had an accident. I use to drink, till I gave it up to support my husbands struggles with it, and I can tell you, driving high is absolutely safer for everyone, than driving while alcohol impaired, and anyone who disagrees, well, that's your right, but you might wanna reconsider.

[nightprowler]

09:31 PM on 12/04/2011

so true i am way to impatient to drive straight i get careless and never stop at stop signs and if traffic is bad i am prone to road rage.but not if i smoke before i drive, then i am careful and cautious i can even drive my mother in law to her Dr.'s and wait in traffic all day and not end up on the evening news...

[juna]

08:22 AM on 12/05/2011

road rage is really one of the most dangerous things. You should count to ten slowly before expressing anything on the road.

[anthonytaurus]

04:28 AM on 12/04/2011

I've been smoking for quite some time now. I drive high a lot of the time. It's not just that potheads change their driving habits to compensate. You have to understand WHY potheads become that careful. Then, you'll understand why you're probably safer with a pothead on the road than a sober person or at least a sober me.

Remember, marijuana relaxes you, calms you down.

As a driver, I can have some crappy road rage. I'll speed, cut people off, yell at pedestrians for crossing against the light, and bike riders beware etc etc etc.

But, when I'm high.

50 feels like 75. I always find myself under the speed limit thinking I'm blazing a trail down the highway. I never cut people off. I'd rather just be patient and relax. I don't need to rush. Pedestrians smile at me because even at a green light, I'll wave for them to cross. Those people who cross half of the street, standing in the middle, I stop for them and make sure they get across.

Bike riders still suck but I will be less likely to throw something at them when they're slow riding in the middle of the street. They still suck no matter how high I am.

I've never been drunk so I can't make a true comparison. But, I think my anecdote will be similar to other drivers who aren't afraid to drive while high.. on marijuana.

[Jeremy Echols]

08:33 PM on 12/04/2011

While I can't condone being high and driving, I think your example would fit well with somebody who suffers from anxiety. Driving while feeling anxious can be dangerous. Taking an ativan prior to driving might not be terribly safe, but I bet it's safer than having a panic attack on the road.

[anthonytaurus]

12:16 PM on 12/05/2011

Not necessarily. You have to realize the marijuana doesn't just change your perception but it changes your mood, your feelings towards others. In general, you become more considerate of others. I went from someone who didn't care the least bit to someone who empathized more. What if I was the guy in the middle of the street trying to cross? What if I was the driver who needed to get over because I didn't know where I was going?

One night, I noticed a woman and her child waiting at the bus stop at like 2am. I gave them a ride home, out of my way. I just saw my mother and myself.

It's not so much about anxiety. Ativan wouldn't get the same result as a person driving high. Marijuana, in my opinion, makes you a better human being.

[K-Hoff45]

04:00 AM on 12/04/2011

drunk drivers run stop signs, stoners wait for them to turn green!

[juna]

08:23 AM on 12/05/2011

That's right. I'm extremely careful when on pot. But I don't like to drive on it.

[acorus]

11:43 PM on 12/02/2011

the point here being that marijuana has the opposite effect of alcohol.in regards to speed, instead of speed being perceived as an intoxicant, it is perceived as dangerous, and thus the driver slows down, thus minimizing the likelihood of serious accidents, which are usually due to excessive speed. statistical analyisis will prove this crucial difference in states where medical marijuana is legal. there are contingencies in place for example in colorado, when an officer tests a driver whom has been involved in an accident, their blood levels of alcohol and marijuana are taken. and if there is marijuana present, motor vehicles is notified and the license is revoked, like a dui. but so far, this has not turned out to be a problem, because marijuana actually makes drivers more cautious

[mikey09]

07:45 PM on 12/02/2011

Come on. I don't have a major problem with weed being legal, but I still don't want the bus driver hitting the bong before picking up the grandkids.

[K-Hoff45]

04:01 AM on 12/04/2011

do you see him taking shots of vodka?

[mikey09]

09:33 AM on 12/04/2011

She shouldn't do that either, BUT, the article did not say drinking made you a good driver. The article claims smoking weed and driving is OK, and I don't think that is a good message to send.

[sloreader]

07:33 PM on 12/02/2011

I don't know about this but according to legend it definitely improves your miniature golf score.

[billy goat]

02:29 PM on 12/02/2011

Obviously marijuana effects everyone a little differently. Some people swear by it, love it. That's great! I, on the other hand, just get immediately really paranoid and anxious ridden then fall asleep. I probably don't need that while I'm trying to get around the Bay Area in my car.

[anthonytaurus]

04:09 AM on 12/04/2011

You're uncomfortable. Your paranoia and anxiety stems from the criminalization of marijuana, not marijuana itself. Do you feel as paranoid or anxious with getting a drink at the bar or smoking a cigarette? Maybe you don't do either. Do you know anyone or even heard of anyone who would get paranoid or anxious after a drink or a cigarette? Yeah, underage drinkers and smokers.

I felt the same way when I started smoking. But, I am 9 years in now and I grow the stuff. That's how comfortable I am with it. Yes, I drive high and even smoke while driving.

[billy goat]

12:59 PM on 12/05/2011

I don't think marijuana should be criminalized, and I'm never consciously aware that it's illegal when I use it. You may be correct that, like alcohol or cigarettes, one acquires the taste. Unfortunately, I probably already drink too much and I'm trying to watch my girlish figure so overindulging in food out for me. All this is by way of saying that I probably won't be trying to cultivate another tolerance that I'll have to learn to moderate. But great that it works for you. I know a lot people who say they drive well when they're high.

[blurredmolly]

10:48 AM on 12/02/2011

I usually am. except when I drop the joint.

[nightprowler]

09:34 PM on 12/04/2011

i hate when that happens

[Jay Fleming]

10:48 AM on 12/02/2011

I spent most of my time in plain clothes, but spent 3 years working uniform patrol. I hadn't thought about it before, but I don't remember ever stopping anyone using marijuana for the type of erratic driving I saw with DUI's. I did make marijuana arrests, but they were for possession after a traffic stop.

I don't think people should "get high" and drive, but people shouldn't assume because someone is using a drug that they're high and would drive bad.

Studies show patients on a stable dose of morphine drive as well as the general public, and we routinely give military pilots amphetamines. Yet states like Arizona have zero tolerance drug driving laws, where if you smoked marijuana 25 days ago, and get stopped today, your considered impaired, you're guilty of DUI with all the penalties that come with that.

Like the feel good texting while driving laws, people should be judged on their driving. If you're driving carelessly or negligently, you need to be stopped, and if you are impaired, go to jail.

[mikey09]

07:50 PM on 12/02/2011

As a cop you know that often the erratic driving is not spotted until the car crosses the yellow line and wipes out a family on their way to dinner. Thats why we try and stop people from doing things that MIGHT impair their driving abilities. My son never had a driving ticket, but he died driving while texting on his phone.

[forestnfama]

10:25 AM on 12/02/2011

45 years of smoking pot and I still have more brain cells than 500 tea baggers........

[nightprowler]

09:34 PM on 12/04/2011

and the whole of faux news combined