Is Legalization Really Responsible for More Car Crashes?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Is Legalization Really Responsible for More Car Crashes?

by Brendan Kiley • Aug 21, 2015 at 12:17 pm

Yesterday, state traffic-safety officials released some alarming-sounding news: In 2014, the year recreational pot stores opened for business in Washington, the number of fatal car crashes involving THC doubled.

And that, of course, is awful—every fatal car crash is awful. “This is particularly affecting young men,” says Shelly Baldwin of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC). According to WTSC data, fatal car crashes involving men from age 21 to 25 with THC in their system tripled from six in 2013 to 19 in 2014.

But before we jump to the legalizing-marijuana-means-highway-death conclusions that some headline writers and Republican speechwriters will inevitably exploit, let's take a closer look at the numbers. I want to be very clear: I'm not minimizing the suffering of people who've lost loved ones to car crashes, particularly car crashes involving impaired drivers. But drug-policy reform is a high-stakes game, locally and internationally, so it's important to look at this new data with clear eyes.

[Eleanors38]

1. Traffic deaths in Texas have been rising for 3 years. And we know how

Texas has legalized pot.

[PatrickforO]

2. Well it is a significant increase, that's for sure. However,

As you point out, moving from 6 to 19 is miniscule statistically. Unless, of course, you're in the family of the people affected - so I too am not minimizing their suffering.

It is high stakes. In Colorado where I reside, recreational marijuana sales topped $50 million monthly recently while medical marijuana sales exceed $35 million per month.

Lots of people watching this - it is a billion dollar business in JUST Colorado, which represents all of 1.5% of GDP. Take that to its conclusion, and you have the potential for a $100 billion plus industry. At minimum, because there's also untapped market potential in hemp fibers, hemp oil and hemp seeds, which rival soy in nutritional value.

Arrayed against that are the police departments, private prisons and their growing slave labor force, the Dept of Corrections and the DEA, all of whom will lose money if pot is legalized. So, yeah, they will latch onto anything to delay it so those profits keep rolling in.

[tech3149]

3. You can't dismiss the fact that most of those THC positive also

had BAC at or above the limit and that there is no research to set any limit on THC content. The drug warriors will not go down without a fight and will use any statistic like this to support their position.

[Mnemosyne]

4. No, just now the drunks are smoking more. Booze still main cause, and idiocy. nt

[NCarolinawoman]

5. Plus texting.

That's beginning to rival booze.

[Mnemosyne]

6. I don't get out much, but almost everytime see texters driving and swerving, idiots. nt