More evidence that Marijuana is not less harmful than alcohol. I have long maintained that many of those killed in motor vehicle accidents were the victims of drivers stoned on pot. If marijuana were to be legalized, as it already is in California and the other medical marijuana states, we can expect a significant increase in those kinds of traffic fatalities.
DRIVING WHILE STONED
By Jerry Reynolds
The Car Pro Weekly
October 20, 2011
Drivers who test positive for marijuana or report driving within three hours of marijuana use are more than twice as likely as other drivers to be involved in crashes, Columbia University researchers found.
The researchers also found evidence that people who smoke dope more often, or who have higher concentrations of its compounds in their blood, face higher crash risks.
The researchers, who report their finding in this month's issue of the journal Epidemiologic Reviews, point to eight of nine studies that validate that drivers who use marijuana are significantly more likely to be involved in crashes than drivers who do not.
The findings are significant as the national debate over pot legalization heats up. A new Gallup Poll finds half of adults now favor legalization, up from 36% as recently as 2006.
Some 28% of those killed in accidents and more than 11% of the general driver population tested positive for non-alcohol drugs, with marijuana being the most commonly detected substance, according to the analysis.
The problem is big, and it could grow as more states such as California allow medical marijuana or take other steps to make it easier to grow, possess or consume. More than 10 million people age 12 or older are estimated to have driven under the influence of illicit drugs in the prior year, according to a 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
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