Canada\u2019s move to legalize marijuana did not result in increased traffic injuries, a new study has found.<\/p>\n
In a paper published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers said they sought to investigate claims that establishing the cannabis legalization law, which took effect in October 2018, would make roads less safe, as prohibitionists frequently argue.<\/p>\n
But after analyzing Ontario and Alberta emergency department data from April 2015 to December 2019, however, they couldn\u2019t find any evidence to support that hypothesis.<\/p>\n
\u201cImplementation of the Cannabis Act was not associated with evidence of significant post-legalization changes in traffic-injury [emergency department] visits in Ontario or Alberta among all drivers or youth drivers, in particular,\u201d the study states.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cLegalization not associated with changes in traffic injuries in all drivers or youth drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
That\u2019s despite the fact that \u201cworldwide momentum toward legalization of recreational cannabis use has raised a common concern that such policies might increase cannabis-impaired driving and consequent traffic-related harms, especially among youth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study\u2019s lead author, Russ Callaghan, said<\/a> in a press release that his team\u2019s results \u201cshow no evidence that legalization was associated with significant changes in emergency department traffic-injury presentations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The researcher admitted that the outcome of the study<\/a> is \u201csomewhat surprising,\u201d adding that he \u201cpredicted that legalization would increase cannabis use and cannabis-impaired driving in the population, and that this pattern would lead to increases in traffic-injury presentations to emergency departments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is possible that our results may be due to the deterrent effects of stricter federal legislation, such as Bill C-46, coming into force shortly after cannabis legalization,\u201d he said, referring to a separate impaired driving bill. \u201cThese new traffic-safety laws imposed more severe penalties for impaired driving due to cannabis, alcohol, and combined cannabis and alcohol use.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Callaghan said he wasn\u2019t expecting the results that his team ended up with, there is a body of existing research that\u2019s also challenged the idea that legalization leads to increased traffic risks.<\/p>\n
A U.S. congressional research body said in a 2019 report that concerns expressed by lawmakers that cannabis legalization will make the roads more dangerous might not be totally founded<\/a>. In fact, the experts tasked by the House and Senate with looking into the issue found that evidence about cannabis\u2019s ability to impair driving is currently inconclusive.<\/p>\n
Other researchers have found on several occasions that traffic fatalities do not increase after a state legalizes marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/a> late last year found that small doses of CBD appear to have no significant impact on driving, whereas comparable doses of THC were associated with short-term impairment \u201cmodest in magnitude and similar to that seen in drivers with a 0.05%\u201d blood alcohol concentration.<\/p>\n
In any case, House-approved report language related to funding<\/a> for the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development addresses drug-impaired driving from substances such as marijuana and urges the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to take steps to address the issue.<\/p>\n
\nDEA Boosts Psilocybin, MDMA And DMT Production Levels Again In Final Quotas For 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
The post Marijuana Legalization In Canada Did Not Result In Increased Traffic Injuries, Study Finds<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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