The legalization of weed in Canada has not been linked to an increase in car accidents

Neither the legalization of adult-use cannabis nor the increase in retail sales correlate with an increase in car accidents, reports NORML. The data comes from a study published in the Drug and Alcohol Review earlier this month.

Canadian scientists studied the number of traffic accidents in Toronto both in the years before and immediately after the city legalized adult-use cannabis.

Her report states: “[N]either the CCA [Canadian Cannabis Act] nor the NCS [number of cannabis stores per capita] is associated with simultaneous changes in the (road safety) results. … During the first year of the CRUL [cannabis recreational use laws] Implemented in Toronto, no significant changes in accidents, number of traffic fatalities and KSI [all road users killed or severely injured] were observed.”

In the US, the risk of increased car accidents from drunk driving is a common reason given for not legalizing cannabis for adult use. Over the years, various studies have provided conflicting information and different conclusions depending on who you interview and their position on cannabis. For example, a 2021 U.S. study suggested that car crash rates have increased in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, where recreational cannabis use and retail sales are legal, Newsweek reported. However, if you read the entire article, you will notice that at the end it is mentioned that the study in question, which used information from injured drivers in emergency rooms in Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; and in Sacramento, California, there was an increase in car accidents only when cannabis was combined with alcohol.

According to the CDC, 11,654 people died in auto accidents involving drink-impaired drivers in 2020, accounting for 30% of all traffic-related deaths in the US, accounting for approximately $123.3 billion in 2020, including the estimate for lives lost and medical bills . Not only is alcohol legal, but it’s also not subject to the same crazy tax laws as cannabis which, by choking off the legal market, only allows the black market to thrive. In 2022 alone, the cannabis industry paid over $1.8 billion in additional taxes.

Findings from the Toronto Drug and Alcohol Review study are consistent with other Canadian research. For example, a 2021 study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found “no evidence that cannabis law enforcement isn’t working.” [which legalized adult-use in Canada] was associated with significant changes in traffic accident ED patterns among all motorists after legalization [emergency department] Visits or, more specifically, ED presentations in road accidents involving young drivers.” As NORML points out, another study published earlier this year came to the same conclusion: “Overall, there is no clear evidence that RCL is present. ” [recreational cannabis laws] had any impact on the rates of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for motor vehicle or pedestrian/cyclist injuries across Canada.”

In the US, however, evidence of the link between cannabis legalization and traffic accidents tends to conform to Republicans’ regressive and scientifically unfounded views. As Benzinga reports, State Senator Paul Cicarella (R), a senior member of the Public Safety and Security Committee, told NBC Connecticut’s Mike Hydeck about a 2023 bill designed to rein in Connecticut’s legal market, “There really isn’t one Test that can tell when it’s time.” “Someone is under the influence of marijuana,” he said, adding that “the false positive and false negative rate is so high that even that could be a challenge, to be admissible in court.”

The race to develop a THC breathalyzer is indeed on. However, anti-cannabis lawmakers fail to understand that people are already using cannabis, legal or not. While cannabis is considered a generally safe substance, like any other mind-altering drug, one should of course consider safety measures such as: B. Driving a car and always dealing with it responsibly. However, if the US really wants to focus on safety, its priority should be to fix tax laws and legalize it at the federal level, otherwise there will be no legal market to examine.