State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

Is Marijuana the Answer to Traffic Fatalities in the U.S.?

Route Fifty: Marijuana advocates say weed is a natural miracle drug that can relieve pain and much more. But rarely do they advance the argument that marijuana saves lives by preventing traffic accidents. Now they will.

A study conducted at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found a reduction in deaths of drivers who tested positive for opioid use after a car accident in states with medical marijuana laws after legalization.(Although the researchers were unable to test whether the opioid use was directly causing impaired driving, they could determine whether drivers had taken opioids prior to driving.) The upshot, according to the authors of the study: substituting weed for opioids to treat pain could save lives.

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