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Saturday, January 7th, 2017

Traffic fatalities decline in states with medical marijuana laws

Author:    
Source:     Medical News Today
Publication Date:     Wednesday 28 December 2016 email 8Share
 Link: Traffic fatalities decline in states with medical marijuana laws
Stephan:   Here is some more good news. And another Prohibitionist toxic fantasy can be given a burial in the Potters field of disinformation. Increased auto fatalities as a result of reefer madness did not result from legalization as it was claimed would be the case. In fact in those states where medical marijuana was legalized fatalities went down. How do we know this: Because once again the laboratories that are individual states show the that wellness oriented policies produce better social outcomes. It is as plain as the nose on your face, as the old cliché goes. Why is this happening? The article says, because marijuana has replaced alcohol for many, but that is hardly a medical usage. My analysis suggests it is because less drivers are impaired with pharmaceuticals, particularly Opiods, because they are using marijuana instead. In the face of this data it will be interesting to see what the next Attorney General does. I can hardly write this sentence he is such a demonstrated racist -- Attorney General Sessions is a rabid anti-weed fanatic, who was O.K. about the KKK until he found out they smoked grass. Seriously.   Journal citation: US Traffic Fatalities, 1985-2014, and Their Relationship to Medical Marijuana Laws, Julian Santaella-Tenorio, DVM, MSc, Christine M. Mauro, PhD, Melanie M. Wall, PhD, June H. Kim, MPhil, MHS, Magdalena Cerdá, DrPH, Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, Deborah S. Hasin, PhD, Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, and Silvia S. Martins, MD, PhD, American Journal of Public Health, doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303577, published 20 December 2016.

States that enacted medical marijuana laws, on average, experienced reductions in traffic fatalities, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Overall, states that passed medical marijuana laws saw an 11 percent reduction in traffic fatalities, on average, after enacting the laws, and had 26 percent lower rates of traffic fatalities compared with states without the laws. The findings are published online in the American Journal of Public Health.(emphasis added)

Reductions in traffic fatalities greatly impacted those between the ages of 15 and 44 and were especially striking among those aged 25 to 44 years, a group representing a high percentage of those registered patients for medical marijuana use.

Specifically, the researchers observed an 11 percent reduction of among those aged 15 to 24 years, 12 percent for ages 25 to 44, and 9 percent for those 45 years and older. Operational dispensaries were also associated with a significant reduction in traffic fatalities in those aged 25 to 44 years at 5 percent.

Lacking was strong evidence suggesting reductions among those aged 45 years and older, which is also a group overrepresented in the population of patients registered in state medical marijuana programs. “This finding […]

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2 Comments

  1. Steven K Hovland on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 5:17 am

    The problem is that marijuana is still illegal by federal law. This means that businesses selling it have a hard time dealing with the cash it generates because the banks, which are federally regulated, may not take it.

  2. Mark R on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 10:04 am

    I am blessed to live in one of the states that leads the way. This study shows how things can change for the better in relatively short time period. As, Mr Hovland rightly points out..the federal government is in the way. Banks are a massive problem in the cannibus industry and are a toxin to every aspect of our lives. As for plant hating Jeff Sessions being the next AG, if he applies his no weed agenda on a national scale it will further the irrelevance of of the federal government. Refer to Ron Paul & Tom Woods on nullification.