Research: Recreational marijuana will increase road traffic accidents and deaths

Critics of Florida’s recreational marijuana amendment introduced in this year’s elections warn it will lead to more car crashes and deaths on the state’s roadways.

Does traffic safety research in states where marijuana is already legal support this?

A review of academic studies conducted over the past five years that examined crash rates and severity in other states before and after the legalization of recreational marijuana confirms these concerns, showing that there is a link between legalization and more car crash injuries and deaths. One study suggests that legalizing recreational marijuana could lead to more than 500 new traffic fatalities in Florida each year.

“I don’t want any more accidents. I don’t want any more deaths. We need safer roads,” said Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, a personal injury lawyer and former prosecutor. “And no state became safer when recreational marijuana was legalized.”

The Florida Department of Transportation produced an ad during the election campaign warning against driving under the influence of marijuana.

“DUI crashes are on the rise in states where marijuana has been legalized, putting everyone at risk,” the narrator said in the ad.

The use of state funds to sway voters against the amendment – which Gov. Ron DeSantis and his supporters opposed – was one example of the governor using public money to influence the outcome of this week’s election. DeSantis also used state funds to persuade voters against an abortion rights amendment on the ballot this week.

“States where marijuana has been legalized are seeing an alarming increase in marijuana-related driving-related fatalities,” the governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis, said during a news conference last month. She said deaths from driving under the influence of marijuana increased 22% in Oregon and 14% in California.

“In every state that has legalized marijuana, we have seen an increase in crime, an increase in vehicle fatalities and car crashes,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

Supporters of the marijuana amendment cited a 2022 scientist test car insurance rates in states that have legalized medical marijuana rather than recreational marijuana. It found that premiums had fallen, especially in areas where there was a higher incidence of drinking and driving before medical legalization. The authors of the study particularly cautioned against applying their findings to the public debate on the legalization of recreational marijuana.

“Consumption habits may differ between the two systems,” the study said.

A spokesman for the pro-marijuana group, Steve Vancore of Smart and Safe Florida, said the earlier study was flawed because it included data during a period when marijuana tourism was popular, skewing the state’s crash data to include out-of-state drivers.

“What they don’t show you is what’s happened over the last four years, where half of America has legalized marijuana and marijuana tourism is no longer a thing,” Vancore said. “All of these data points have stabilized.”

Vancore said that in some states that were the first to implement the new measures, fatal accidents increased slightly, but the number of fatal accidents never increased. He was unable to provide any evidence to support this claim, which is inconsistent with recent research showing an increase in fatal accidents in states that have legalized recreational marijuana.

“I have seen countless deaths and destruction caused by drinking and driving under the influence,” said Martin, a state senator. “So that was one of the first things I thought about when I saw that Amendment 3 could definitely change the habits of millions of Floridians.”

Martin cited A test last year by Canadian researchers who found that the number of traffic accidents requiring emergency room visits and involving marijuana increased by 475% between 2010 and 2021. “Cannabis-related traffic accidents have increased over time and that the commercialization of cannabis markets may result in further increases,” the study said.

Other test last year in the International Journal of Drug Policy found that fatalities increased by 2.2 per billion kilometers traveled when retail sales began after legalization. States that were the first to adopt the technology saw larger increases in traffic fatalities.

2022 test published in the National Library of Medicine showed a 6.5% increase in injury crashes and a 2.3% increase in fatal crashes following the legalization of recreational marijuana from 2009 to 2019. It concluded that the onset of retail marijuana sales did not result in additional significant changes.

2021 test looked at fatal motor vehicle collisions and associated fatalities in areas of the United States with legalized recreational marijuana. There was a 15% increased risk of fatal motor vehicle collisions and a 16% increase in the number of related deaths. The study concluded that there is no evidence to suggest that this increase is temporary.

Florida recorded 3,403 fatalities across all crashes in 2023. A 16% increase would mean an increase of 545 deaths per year.

Martin, the state senator, also predicted that car insurance premiums would increase due to an expected increase in accidents.

“If you think car insurance is expensive in the state of Florida right now, wait,” he said, “wait until the number of deaths and injuries skyrockets.”

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This article was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida’s Department of Journalism and Communication. The reporter can be contacted at: [email protected]. You can make a donation to support our students Here.