{"id":24930,"date":"2017-01-04T11:11:54","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T16:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atlantictraining.com\/blog\/?p=24930"},"modified":"2017-01-04T11:11:54","modified_gmt":"2017-01-04T16:11:54","slug":"alarming-rise-drugged-driving-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atlantictraining.com\/blog\/alarming-rise-drugged-driving-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"Alarming rise in drugged driving deaths alerts U.S. regulators"},"content":{"rendered":"
In 2015, 21% of the 31,166 fatal crashes in the U.S. involved at least one driver who tested positive for drugs after the incident \u2014 up from 12% in 2005, according to NHTSA. The rate rose in 14 of the last 15 years, falling for the first time last year.<\/i><\/p>\nIs marijuana legalization to blame?<\/h2>\n
There is an inclination among some to blame marijuana legalization for the problem \u2013 USA Today <\/i>says the increase “corresponds” with the legalization movement, and quotes a Colorado highway safety official who says that the state’s recreational marijuana laws “very probably” have led to an increase in fatal traffic accidents.<\/p>\n
But other than guesses and weak logical correlations there doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidence that marijuana use is causing any significant increase in car crash deaths.<\/p>\n
It would be just as logical to say that the increase corresponds to the quadrupling of opioid painkiller prescriptions since 1999. Not to mention the fact that there’s been a quadrupling of deaths from opioid prescription drugs in the same period, but maybe that’s all a coincidence, right?<\/p>\n
Speaking of coincidences, the number of deaths from marijuana use<\/a><\/u> has remained constant throughout the same period \u2013 the number remains at zero.<\/p>\n But USA Today<\/i> was quick to trot out a compellingly horrific example of a marijuana-addled driver run amok:<\/p>\n One victim, according to prosecutors, was David Aggio of California. He was killed March 8, 2014, when Rodolfo Alberto Contreras, who was high on marijuana, ran a red light at nearly 80 mph, crossed the center divider and demolished Aggio’s Ford Explorer, prosecutors said.<\/i><\/p>\n Not to diminish the seriousness of this tragic event, but most people would not consider this as typical behavior of a marijuana<\/a> user \u2013 the common perception of stoned drivers is that they tend to be too cautious behind the wheel.<\/p>\n The truth is that it is difficult to get a clear statistical breakdown of fatal car accidents involving drugged drivers, in terms of marijuana use compared to other drugs, although in Colorado, for example, there seems to have been a slight rise in traffic fatalities involving marijuana-impaired drivers since recreational cannabis was legalized in the state.<\/p>\n Marijuana legalization<\/a> proponents warn against jumping to conclusions, however. Jolene Forman, staff attorney at the Drug Policy Alliance, said:<\/p>\n We’re interested in pursuing policies that advance what is empirically shown, rather than knee-jerk, fear-based policies… It looks like marijuana legalization has not led to road safety concerns.<\/i><\/p>\n More research is needed on several fronts \u2013 including further study of the effects of marijuana on driving \u2013 but to ignore the likely impact of spiraling opioid abuse<\/a><\/u> on traffic safety and instead focusing primarily on the supposed dangers posed by drivers high on marijuana would be a mistake.<\/p>\n The viral photograph<\/a><\/u> of an Ohio couple found in a car after having overdosed on opioids — with a 4-year-old child in the back seat– speaks louder than all the marijuana horror stories combined.<\/p>\n It would seem rather obvious that the opioid epidemic is as likely an explanation for the increase in drug-related traffic fatalities as marijuana, and until there is clear evidence proving otherwise, there is simply no excuse for trying to pin the blame on cannabis users.<\/p>\n Sources:<\/b><\/p>\n USAToday.com<\/a><\/p>\n DrugPolicy.org<\/a><\/p>\nThe need for real data and useful strategies vs. “knee-jerk, fear-based policies”<\/h2>\n