After legalizing recreational use of marijuana, the states of Colorado, Oregon and Washington saw collision claim frequencies rise about 3% higher overall compared to neighbouring states, according to a new analysis from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe combined-state analysis shows that the first three states to legalize recreational marijuana have experienced more crashes,\u201d said Matt Moore, senior vice president of HLDI. \u201cThe individual state analyses suggest that the size of the effect varies by state.\u201d<\/p>\n
Washington and Colorado were the first states to legalize recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older in November 2012.<\/p>\n
According to Heavy Duty Trucking, HLDI\u2019s analysis relied on neighbouring states as additional controls to evaluate the collision claims activity in Colorado, Oregon and Washington before and after law changes. The control states included Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, in addition to Colorado, Oregon and Washington before the legalization of recreational cannabis use, the institute said.<\/p>\n
According to the HLDI, Colorado experienced the largest estimated jump in claim frequency, compared with its control states. After retail recreational pot sales began in the state, the collision claim frequency climbed to 14% higher than in nearby Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming. In Washington, the estimated increase in claim frequency was 6.2% higher than in Montana and Idaho. Oregon\u2019s estimated increase was 4.5% higher than in Idaho, Montana and Nevada.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe combined effect for the three states was smaller but still significant at 3%,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThe combined analysis uses a bigger control group and is a good representation of the effect of marijuana legalization overall. The single-state analyses show how the effect differs by state.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to the new analysis, Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) Executive Director Jonathan Adkins issued a statement reiterating the group\u2019s stance that states should \u201cconsider the risk of marijuana-impaired driving as they move toward liberalizing marijuana laws.\u201d<\/p>\n
The GHSA cited recent national data that found marijuana was present in 12.2% of all fatally injured drivers who tested for drugs.<\/p>\n
However, a study earlier this year\u00a0published in the American Journal of Public Health<\/a>\u00a0found that crash fatality rates\u00a0were not statistically different three years after legalization in Washington and Colorado compared to states that have not legalized marijuana. Researchers in that study noted that future studies should be conducted looking at longer term data.<\/p>\n