Car Accidents Increase in Marijuana States

(Fall 2017) New data found that auto collisions increased 3% in Colorado, Oregon and Washington— all states that have approved recreational marijuana. The Highway Loss Data Institute claimed these additional crashes would not have occurred if recreational marijuana sales were illegal in these states. The organization did not say that the accident upswing was directly linked to marijuana-impaired drivers, and the report did not analyze highway death rates in these states to reach its conclusions. However, some known short-term effects of marijuana usage, including impaired body mobility and problems with cognitive processing, could reasonably contribute to car accidents.

To conduct the study, the Institute compared collision claims before and after the states legalized recreational marijuana to rates of similar states in which the drug is still prohibited by law. Since legalization, collision claims jumped 16% in Colorado, while Washington State’s went up 6.2%. Meanwhile, Oregon’s numbers increased by more than four points.

A representative of the Institute highlighted that, of the three states, Colorado has permitted recreational marijuana use the longest and also exhibited the largest increase. Oregon, in comparison, more recently approved recreational marijuana and, at this time, showed the smallest increase in car crashes.

As of 2017, eight states have authorized the sale of recreational cannabis, and the Institute’s research is relevant as more states now open their own discussions on marijuana legalization.

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