The report did not prove that there is a link between medicinal marijuana and the decline of traffic deaths.
Legalization of marijuana has been a debating topic for many people. A lot of them believed that only bad things can happen if is legalized. This is not the case since in some states that have legalized marijuana the number of traffic deaths has declined.
Many people believed that the legalization of marijuana is going to cause more traffic deaths but in fact, it did exactly the opposite. In the last 20 years, more than 27 states legalized medicinal marijuana. A new report shows that deaths on average have declined since 1985.
The report analyzed more than 1 million fatalities in the US between 1985 and 2014. The researchers observed that the traffic deaths decreased by more than 11 percent on average since medicinal marijuana was legalized. The decrease was particularly high (12%) when it comes to people aged between 25 and 44.
The authors of the report mentioned that this is a big number. The findings were published in the American Journal of Public Health. One of the authors of the study, Benjamin Hansen, mentioned that public safety is not affected by the legalization of marijuana. He said that access to medicinal marijuana can even improve the public safety.
The authors mentioned that like alcohol, marijuana is a drug and it can affect the ability to drive. This is why people shouldn’t drive under the influence. The report did not prove that there is a link between medicinal marijuana and the decline of traffic deaths.
The authors mentioned that they can’t prove the cause and effect and that they just observed the decline of traffic deaths. The authors also mentioned that people who consume marijuana might be more aware of the fact that they shouldn’t drive after they smoked pot.
The report also shows that for every state the number of deaths caused by traffic was different. For instance, in New Mexico, the decrease was by 17% and then it increased. The authors mentioned that these are just numbers and they can’t prove the link between medicinal marijuana and the number of deaths caused by car accidents.
What is your opinion about the legalization of marijuana and traffic deaths?
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Deborah Campbell
