MADISON (WKOW) — A new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that fatal crashes involving marijuana use in Washington state have doubled over the past ten years.
The research found that between 2008 and 2012, before weed was legal there, about 8.8 percent of Washington drivers involved in fatal crashes tested positive for THC. THC is the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
That rate increased to 18 percent between 2013 and 2017, after the drug was legalized.
“AAA believes the increase raises important traffic safety concerns for drivers across the country, because recreational marijuana use is now legal in 11 states and Washington, D.C.,” the study said.
The study also indicates that the average number of THC-positive drivers has increased.
In the five years before legalization, about 56 drivers involved in fatal crashes a year tested positive for THC. After legalization, the average number jumped to 130.
The study did not attempt to determine if marijuana contributed to the crashes included in its latest research. It focused only on the prevalence of drivers who tested positive for active THC.
“This study enabled us to review a full 10-years’ worth of data about the potential impact of marijuana on driving safety – and it raises significant concerns,” said Nick Jarmusz, Director of Public Affairs for AAA. “Results from the analysis suggest that legalization of recreational use of marijuana may increase the rate of THC-positive drivers involved in fatal crashes.”
The release of this traffic study comes just one month after the legalization of recreational weed in Illinois.
While legislation to legalize it here in some form has been introduced in the past, lawmakers say it’s still a long way off.
While some states have set legal limits to how much THC users can have in their system, AAA said there’s no data that shows how much THC actually affects drivers. The chemicals can also vary by user.
In a press release, AAA said there should be a specific approach to determine whether a driver is impaired. This should include a positive test for recent marijuana use, and behavioral and physiological evidence of driver impairment.
Eleven states and Washington, D.C. have legalized marijuana for both recreational and medical use. 22 states have legalized it for medical use only.