Research backs up critics of recreational pot, saying it increases crashes and deaths

Critics of a recreational marijuana amendment on Florida’s ballot this year warn it will lead to more accidents and deaths on the state’s roads.

Does this study support traffic safety in states where weed is already legal?

A review of academic studies over the past five years that analyzed crash rates and severity in other states before and after the legalization of recreational marijuana supports those concerns, showing a link between legalization and more car crash injuries and deaths. One study found that legalizing recreational marijuana could lead to more than 500 new traffic deaths 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-Ft. Myers, a personal injury attorney and former prosecutor. “And no state has become safer by legalizing recreational marijuana.”

During the election, the Florida Department of Transportation produced a campaign ad warning people not to drive under the influence of weed.

“In states that have legalized marijuana, drug-related crashes are on the rise, putting everyone at risk,” the ad’s narrator said.

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

“States that have legalized marijuana have seen an alarming increase in impaired driving fatalities,” the governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis, said at a news conference last month. Marijuana-impaired driving deaths are up 22 percent in Oregon and 14 percent in California, she said.

“In every state that has legalized marijuana, we’ve seen an increase in crime, an increase in vehicle fatalities, an increase in traffic accidents,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Supporters of the marijuana amendment cited a 2022 scientist study auto insurance rates in states that have legalized medical marijuana rather than recreational marijuana. It found that insurance premiums fell, especially in areas with a higher prevalence of drunk driving before medical legalization. The authors of the study specifically cautioned against applying their findings to the public debate about the legalization of recreational marijuana.

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

Marijuana advocacy group spokesman Steve Vankor of Smart and Safe Florida said previous studies were flawed because they looked at data when marijuana tourism was popular, skewing the state’s crash data to include out-of-state drivers.

“They don’t show you the last four years, when half of America has legalized marijuana, marijuana tourism is no longer relevant,” Vancor said. “So all those metrics have leveled off.”

Vancore noted that some early adopter states saw a slight increase in injury crashes, but no increase in fatalities. He was unable to provide any evidence for that claim, which contradicts recent studies showing an increase in fatal crashes in states that have legalized recreational weed.

“I’ve seen countless lives lost and destroyed because of drunk driving,” Martin said. “So that was one of the first things I thought of when I saw that Amendment 3 could definitely change the habits of millions of Floridians.”

A state senator quoted a study Last year, Canadian researchers showed that traffic accidents that required emergency room visits and involved marijuana increased by 475% between 2010 and 2021.

“Cannabis-related injuries have increased over time, and the commercialization of cannabis markets may lead to further increases,” the study said.

another study last year, published in International Journal of Drug Policyconcluded that there was a 2.2 increase in fatalities per billion miles after retail sales began after legalization. Countries that were the first to adopt this standard had a greater increase in road deaths.

2022 year study published in National Medical Library found a 6.5% increase in injury crashes and a 2.3% increase in fatal crashes following the legalization of recreational marijuana between 2009 and 2019. It said the opening of retail marijuana sales did not cause any additional significant changes.

2021 year study examined fatal vehicle collisions and related deaths in US areas with legalized recreational marijuana. A 15% increased risk of fatal vehicle collisions and a 16% increase in related deaths were found. The study said there was no evidence that these increases were temporary.

Florida reported 3,403 deaths from all traffic accidents in 2023. A 16% increase would add 545 more deaths each year.

Martin also predicted that auto insurance will increase due to the expected increase in traffic accidents.

“If you think auto insurance in the state of Florida is expensive now, wait,” he said, “until the number of fatalities and injuries increases.”

This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, the news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communication. The correspondent can be contacted at [email protected]. You can make a donation to support our students here.