02-03-2014, 06:40 AM
Slate on impaired drivers - pot vs booze
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and...ohol_.html
"The study is the first to examine the relationship between the legalization of medical marijuana and traffic deaths.
"We were astounded by how little is known about the effects of legalizing medical marijuana," Rees said. "We looked into traffic fatalities because there is good data, and the data allow us to test whether alcohol was a factor."
Anderson noted that traffic deaths are significant from a policy standpoint.
"Traffic fatalities are an important outcome from a policy perspective because they represent the leading cause of death among Americans ages five to 34," he said.
The economists analyzed traffic fatalities nationwide, including the 13 states that legalized medical marijuana between 1990 and 2009. In those states, they found evidence that alcohol consumption by 20- through 29-year-olds went down, resulting in fewer deaths on the road."
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and...ohol_.html
"The study is the first to examine the relationship between the legalization of medical marijuana and traffic deaths.
"We were astounded by how little is known about the effects of legalizing medical marijuana," Rees said. "We looked into traffic fatalities because there is good data, and the data allow us to test whether alcohol was a factor."
Anderson noted that traffic deaths are significant from a policy standpoint.
"Traffic fatalities are an important outcome from a policy perspective because they represent the leading cause of death among Americans ages five to 34," he said.
The economists analyzed traffic fatalities nationwide, including the 13 states that legalized medical marijuana between 1990 and 2009. In those states, they found evidence that alcohol consumption by 20- through 29-year-olds went down, resulting in fewer deaths on the road."