Will Legalizing Marijuana Reduce Drinking and Driving?

Drink driving is well known and observed in TV shows, newspapers and films. We now know the accidents and the reasons to avoid them. But one night and one beer/cocktail/wine too many and things can take a hard turn. Recreational cannabis is legal in 23 states and medicinal cannabis in 40 states. So, does legalizing medical marijuana reduce drunk driving?

The data shows an association between states with medical marijuana programs and a lower risk of dangerous driving and car accidents. The data is part of a study in Health Economics that analyzed insurance information and trends from automotive companies from 2014 to 2019.

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The study found that auto insurance premiums fell in states with medical marijuana programs as cars were less involved in road accidents.

The date showed that premiums dropped about $22 a year after states rolled out their medical marijuana programs. Researchers suspect this is because these states have fewer car accidents and drunk driving, and drivers are substituting alcohol for cannabis.

“Legalizing medical cannabis has reduced auto insurance premiums by $1.5 billion in all states that are currently legalizing, with the possibility of reducing premiums by an additional $900 million if the remaining states legalize,” the study said.

The results are not yet fully understood, but the link between legal cannabis and a reduction in drunk driving is significant. While drug driving is potentially dangerous and should be avoided and monitored, it is important to note that legal marijuana could curb drinking and driving. Statistics say that drunk driving kills 10,000 people every year, which is a little less than 30% of all traffic fatalities.

“The likelihood of being in a car accident while driving ‘stoned’ is about twice that of driving sober, but significantly less than the 10- to 15-fold increase when driving with a blood alcohol concentration of about 0.1,” shared Godfrey Pearlson, MD, medical director of the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center at the Institute of Living, part of the Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network.

Your body reacts differently to alcohol and marijuana. Despite the fact that both substances change people’s perceptions, people who use marijuana tend to stay at home or go to house parties. Alcohol triggers the opposite behavior, enticing people to drive into bars and clubs.

RELATED: High affects how you drive, according to a new study

It appears that legalizing marijuana is reducing drunk driving. But driving stoned is not a smart idea. Marijuana affects areas of the brain that control your body’s movements, balance, coordination, memory, and judgment.