Medical Marijuana Use Linked to Fatal Road Accidents
The legalization of the use of marijuana for medical purposes has led to an increase in pot use – this time, however, with a sense of legality to it, although federal law still considers any kind of marijuana use illegal.
While the purpose of medical marijuana is essentially to serve as an alternative treatment for patients seeking relief from pain and other symptoms associated with chronic illnesses, it could not be dissociated fully from its “other use” as a recreational drug.
A feature on the Los Angeles Times shared a statement from former Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske, White House director of National Drug Control Policy, who said: “Marijuana is a significant and important contributing factor in a growing number of fatal accidents… There is no question, not only from the data but from what I have heard in my career as a law enforcement officer.”
Kerlikowske’s comment was made in relation to a recent assessment released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which indicated that 16.3 percent of night drivers across the country have various legal and illegal impairing drugs in their system. Of this number, half are said to be high on pot.
The fact that a third of the states in the country have legalized the use of medical marijuana has prompted the conduct of scientific research into the impairing effects of medical marijuana. Another issue is that there is no national standard regarding the amount of drug that drivers ought to have in their blood.
Jeffrey P. Michael, impaired-driving director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said: “A lot of effort has gone into the study of drugged driving and marijuana, because that is the most prevalent drug, but we are not nearly to the point where we are with alcohol. We don’t know what level of marijuana impairs a driver.”
Tags: medical marijuana, medical marijuana accidents, medical marijuana risks, medical marijuana use
July 4, 2011 at 6:07 amMarij A. Wanna
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Did you read that actual article? Why are you demonizing marijuana when most of these people involved in these fatal crashes have other drugs in their system? This isn’t the 1930′s-40′s anymore so stop perpetuating exaggerated facts and lies. There has been research done on driving under the influence of marijuana and it has found that “THC levels below 5ng/ml were associated with a lower risk than drug-free drivers” and that is of accidents overall. People with more than 5ng/ ml are in fact at greater risk of accident. But do your research, and get your facts straight. Stop exaggerating facts that have absolutely no scientific backing, that is exactly what started this discriminatory policy known as marijuana prohibition.
Citing: “Introducing Issues With Opposing Viewpoints: Marijuana” Van Tuyl, Christine- Book Editor, Greenhaven Press, New York, New York.
July 4, 2011 at 6:15 ammalcolm kyle
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The issue of ‘Drugged Driving’ has often been brought to the forefront in many debates concerning the use of Marijuana (recreational, spiritual or medicinal) so I feel it may be useful to cover this topic comprehensively.
The often cited statistic that 6-8% of drivers in motor accidents test positive for marijuana is a case-book example of mistaken causality. A positive test merely indicates that the driver has used marijuana sometime in the past 90 days. Since roughly 7% of the population uses marijuana on a monthly basis, the 6-8% statistic, far from proving anything about the effects of marijuana, simply affirms what should be expected.
Here is a graph which indicates the presence of certain amounts of cannabis in your body REDUCES accident risk:
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2739/picture9iqg.png
Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17916224
* Fact: When combined 2002 to 2005 data are compared with combined 2006 to 2009 data, the Nation as a whole experienced a statistically significant reduction in the rate of past year drugged driving (from 4.8 to 4.3 percent), as did seven States: Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Four of these seven States have legalized medicinal marijuana, Alaska, Hawaii, Michigan and California.
http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/205/DruggedDriving.htm
* Fact: California led the US to a nationwide, statistically significant reduction in the incidence of “drugged” driving during a time period when the number of patients claiming the protection of the California Compassionate Use Act and SB-420 increased by a factor of 10.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/may/31/million_medical_marijuana_patien
* Fact: The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine document states that MARIJUANA DOES NOT CAUSE DANGEROUS DRIVING: http://peaceandloveism.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4692
Google MARIJUANA DRIVING STUDY. You’ll see two common findings:
1. Drivers under the influence of marijuana are VERY SLIGHTLY impaired.
2. Unlike those under the influence of alcohol, marijuana consumers are aware they are VERY SLIGHTLY impaired and they CONSISTENTLY ADEQUATELY COMPENSATE by slowing down a little and being a little more cautious. That doesn’t mean they get in the fast lane on the interstate and drive 15 miles per hour. Marijuana makes you cautious, not crazy! Those Cheech and Chong movies were comedies, NOT documentaries!
* On November 30, Gil Kerlikowske presented this to the press: New Data On The Dangers Of Drugged Driving.
http://ofsubstance.gov/blogs/pushing_back/archive/2010/11/30/51736.aspx
Looking at only fatalities, the data that Kerlikowske provides makes absolutely no distinction between the parties at fault and innocent second-vehicle casualties. No distinction between impairment and the mere presence of metabolites and no distinctions between drunk or drugged drivers (illegal or prescription).
And guess what? Kerli also forgot to mention the fact that U.S. traffic fatalities are at a record low despite drivers traveling farther than they did in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study of traffic injuries and fatalities in 2009 found that 33,808 people were killed in vehicular accidents, which is a decline of 9.7 percent from 2008’s figures. In fact, you’d have to go all the way back to 1950 to find a year when fewer people were killed.
Keep in mind that there were only 44.7 million cars on U.S. roads in 1950 and a population of 150 million compared to today’s 255.9 million cars and a population of 310 million, according to the DOT. Which means that the probability of being involved in an auto fatality is dramatically lower than it was nearly 60 years ago.
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2010/09/us-traffic-deaths-drop-to-historic-low.html
July 4, 2011 at 6:26 amTheDeacon
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Jeffrey P. Michael, impaired-driving director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said: “We don’t know what level of marijuana impairs a driver.” HEY, how about a field sobriety test? Patients with MS should have a note from their Dr saying they have MS and may not be able to pass the ‘Walk The Straight Line’ part of the test. Other than that if they act impaired they are if they don’t they are not. No matter how much Cannabinoids in their system. Cannabis does not impair as Alcohol does, in fact studies have shown that people who have smoked Cannabis are safer drivers than those who have consumed Alcohol, and even safer drivers than those who are totally sober. They tend to be not as cautious as those who have used Cannabis.
July 4, 2011 at 6:44 amColleen McCool
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Most experts agree cannabis is safer with motorists than alcohol and many prescription drugs. Cannabis consumers, like all responsible drug users, never operate motor vehicles in an impaired condition. The prevalence of illicit drug use among US drivers is far less than the prevalence of alcohol among this same population. Both a Canadian and French study noted that overall few traffic accidents appeared to be attributed to driver’s operating a vehicle while impaired by cannabis. Actually scientific surveys prove that pot smokers are the safest drivers on the road.
It is a scientifically verified fact that marijuana users are safer drivers than teetotalers. The Drugs and Accident Risk in Fatally-Injured Drivers study concluded that marijuana has a “negative risk factor” for fatal highway accidents. A “negative risk factor” means that pot smokers have a lower accident rate than teetotalers.
Several other on-road driving studies funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation prove that marijuana smokers are safer drivers than teetotalers. “The THC-only drivers had [an accident] responsibility rate BELOW that of the drug-free drivers, as was found previously by Williams and colleagues (1986).” “There was no indication that cannabis by itself was a cause of fatal crashes.” (Incidence and Role of Drugs in Fatally Injured Drivers K W Terhune, 1992 p. 100)
When cops talk about increasing numbers of marijuana positive driver fatalities, be sure to ask how many of the pot smokers were responsible for the accidents that killed them. In almost every case it will be found that a drunk or a distracted driver, not the marijuana user caused the accident.
July 4, 2011 at 7:32 amMike
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Keep in mind that marijuana (cannabis sativa) stays in the body for as long as a month after use. This does not mean the driver was stoned for a month, nor does it mean that they were not stoned while driving.
Weed is not alcohol, so the same parameters will not work. Also, the director of the National Drug Control Policy has stipulations to disregard any positive use of a banned substance, regardless of evidence and natural plant growth. Welcome to the future…
As a side note, without cannabis, the United States of America would have had a navy to fight the British in the Revolutionary War nor fight the Japanese in World War Two. Now any use for the hemp plant is imported from Canada, because the US government must keep its B.S. drug policy going, one trillion dollars later…
July 4, 2011 at 9:20 amsome observant dude
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I keep reading little tid bits of articles of this on the internet and it seems that the business, slandering, and propagandizing is still alive and strong in today. The wording of this article allows for a lot of misguidance, and even if people fundamentally understood the job of the DEA Head Director (Kerlikowski) they would know why.
A) 16.3 percent of all night drivers are said to have been under the influence of illegal drugs. So this isn’t just cannabis, this is possibly heroin, meth, ecstasy, cocaine, or oxycodone. Half of them are ‘said’ to be high on pot. Said by who? The driver themselves? Speculation? Gil Kerlikowski himself?
If anyone knew anything about the reason why cannabis prohibition is continuing strong today it is because of propaganda created by the DEA head. If you also knew that his job required him to fight at all costs any scheduled drugs you would understand that this group has no reason not to create misinformation.
” Responsibilities. –The Director– [...]
(12) shall ensure that no Federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall be expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812) and take such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use of a substance (in any form) that–
1. is listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812); and
2. has not been approved for use for medical purposes by the Food and Drug Administration;”
And unlike Mr.Gil K, I will show where my information comes from because I am not here to spread propaganda or fight a illogical fight, I am only here to spread the truth.
Cited:
Guither Pete, “the Drug Czar is Required by Law to Lie” (http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/drug-czar-required/)
July 4, 2011 at 9:32 amPam
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I’d like to know what context was removed from the second to last sentence of this article. It seems to me that a lot of why cannabis is still prohibited is in large part the removal of context that negates the opponents of ending prohibition of cannabis. Was the end of the sentence stating they don’t have the records of accidents caused by cannabis alone because there aren’t any? How many accidents are caused by cannabis intoxication alone? Again, it seems there is always another “drug” or alcohol along with the cannabis. Let’s isolate it for science, eh?
July 4, 2011 at 9:49 ampfroehlich2004
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According to data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Adminstration, the national motor vehicle fatality rate declined roughly 25% between 1996 (when California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana) and 2008.
Of the 25 states with the highest rates of marijuana use, 15 experienced greater declines than the national average.
Moreover, as of 2008, 19 of these states had motor vehicle fatality rates below the national average.
If marijuana is indeed an “important contributing factor in a growing number of fatal accidents”, then why don’t states with higher levels of marijuana use experience more traffic fatalities than states with lower levels of marijuana use? And why have fatality rates declined faster in these states?
I don’t expect Mr. Kerlikowske to answer these questions, but anyone who’s intereted should have a look at the data:
Fatality rates: http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/States/StatesFatalitiesFatalityRates.aspx
Marijuana use rates:http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8State/AppB.htm#TabB-3
July 4, 2011 at 10:24 amanonymous
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what bs. The California Highway Patrol did tests in New Mexico some years back. They set out to prove the debilitating effects of marijuana on driving. It turns out that people actually did BETTER on the driving tests while under the influence of cannabis. They drove more carefully when high. This study was immediately buried for obvious reasons…
July 4, 2011 at 11:13 amchavez
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Don’t forget about the ones hyped up on coffee and yelling on their cell while driving.They cause more accidents then anyhing else
July 4, 2011 at 3:44 pmRichard J. Roush
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BULLSHIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 4, 2011 at 3:44 pmEgadsNo
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That report was about non alcohol related accidents, which includes prescription drugs and all drugs. Marijuana itself has a very good track record with driving statistics unless mixed with other drugs. Luckily marijuana users are shown to abuse other drugs less…
Old Gil is just looking after his 15.6 bi-annual budget with his usual rhetoric
July 4, 2011 at 5:16 pmJayelleFarmer
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Oh, what a load of nonsense. Most of the fatal accidents that occur are due to nothing more than bad driving, ie making a wrong decision at the right moment.
As for Gil Kerlikowske, I would take anything that he has to say as fed gov’s “drug czar” with a pinch of salt. He recently flew out to Seattle to discuss the legalization issue with a Seattle newspaper after they came out publicly on pro-legalization.
People, it’s time. It’s time to stop all of this prohibition nonsense. It’s time to regulate cannabis – from seed to consumer.
July 4, 2011 at 5:46 pmDuncan20903
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The claim that medicinal cannabis patient protection laws has increased the number of fatalities is hogwash, and demonstrably so.
So let’s take a look at the incidence of impaired driving in California and the US, quantified by a study released in December 2010 by SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which of course is run by the Federal government.
You say driving while drugged has increased because of medical cannabis, and there is carnage and mayhem on the highways? That’s the trouble with hysterical rhetoric, it’s so often wrong, wrong, wrong.
On 12/10/2010 SAMHSA published the results of a study of the incidence in “drugged” driving and was pleased to announce that the nationwide incidence of “drugged” driving had declined by a statistically significant percentage. They were also pleased to announce that there was not even a single State which had suffered a statistically significant increase in the incidence of “drugged” driving. This despite the fact that a number of States implemented laws protecting patients that use whole plant cannabinoid medicine during that very time period and that during that time frame the number of Californians claiming the protection of the CUA and SB-420 more than tripled.
SAMHSA credited the nationwide statistically significant reduction in “drugged” driving to the 7 States which also enjoyed a statistically significant decreases in its incidence during the study’s time frame.
4 of the 7 States are States that have laws like the CUA which decriminalize medicinal cannabis. Alaska, Hawaii, Michigan, and (hold onto your hat!) California, the latter is of course the Know Nothing prohibitionists “poster child” for medical cannabis run amuck. But that’s why I call them Know Nothings, because they simply know nothing about that which they seem so certain is true.
Attention Know Nothings: Read ‘em and weep:
http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/205/DruggedDriving.htm
July 4, 2011 at 5:57 pmDuncan20903
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Not only does the SAMHSA study prove that the incidence of cannabis addled driving in States with medicinal cannabis patient protection laws is a total non-problem, it also addresses the fear based hysterical rhetoric of the Know Nothings which claims that sensible regulation of a regulated retail distribution chain would also lead to the increase in the incidence of “drugged” driving.
Alaska was one of the States which enjoyed a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of “drugged” driving, and Alaska has de facto legalized petty possession and petty cultivation. Even more compelling is that in a 1990 ballot initiative the voters of Alaska voted to re-criminalize petty possession and petty distribution. That 1990 law was struck down by the Alaska Court of Appeals in 2002 which of course is the first year of the SAMHSA study.
Mr. Kerlifries is full of malarkey. The evidence does not support his fantasy land assertions.
July 4, 2011 at 7:24 pmDave K
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Happy Fourth of July! May you continue to live in freedom and to stand against the forces of tyranny!
“If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” Thomas Jefferson
“Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere.” George Washington
By the way, Indian Hemp referred to the form of hemp grown for medicine (Cannabis Indica: marijuana) and not the form of the plant used for fiber… Medical cannabis patients are not going away. If the federal government refuses to recognize the therapeutic benefits of cannabis and develop a sensible public health policy, then states must be allowed to do so in its place. As we celebrate our freedom from government tyranny on this July 4th, let’s also be resolute in our stand against tyrannical acts by the Obama Administration.
July 5, 2011 at 2:21 amdbeall
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The use of Marijuana does not effect your driving, that is a huge MYTH.
I have well over 1.5 million miles driving while high on Marijuana and there is no proof that it impairs anything.
July 5, 2011 at 7:22 amSarah Farmer
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This is ludicrous lies you speak here! The Dept of Transportation has recently concluded studies that PROVE that drivers under the influence of marijuana are NOT impaired and unable to drive, and, in fact, that their driving performance before ingestion and after were the same, and after ingestion even better performance was recorded. This is a lame excuse, and we are not buying it. You and your lies, and corruption, are playing a huge part in the overall economic and social COLLAPSE of our society as a whole. Government is rendering their lust for greed more important than the people whom they are supposed to serve. In the end, EVERYONE, including your children, are going to suffer and die to the greed that you are enabling. REPEAL Prohibition, give the planet back to the people, give the people a chance to live!
July 5, 2011 at 9:35 am2crudedudes
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Guy who doesn’t want to lose his job as drug czar says drugs are bad. Gee, he couldn’t possibly be biased in any way.
July 5, 2011 at 2:50 pmJillian Galloway
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On June 17, 1971, President Nixon told Congress that “if we cannot destroy the drug menace in America, then it will surely destroy us.” After forty years of trying to destroy “the drug menace in America” we still *haven’t* been able to destroy it and it still *hasn’t* destroyed us. Four decades is long enough to realize that on this important issue, President Nixon was wrong! All actions taken as a result of his invalid and paranoid assumptions (e.g. the federal marijuana prohibition) should be ended immediately!
It makes no sense for taxpayers to fund the federal marijuana prohibition when it *doesn’t* prevent people from using marijuana and it *does* make criminals incredibly wealthy and incite the Mexican drug cartels to murder thousands of people every year.
We need legal adult marijuana sales in supermarkets, gas stations and pharmacies for exactly the same reason that we need legal alcohol and tobacco sales – to keep unscrupulous black-market criminals out of our neighborhoods and away from our children. Marijuana must be made legal to sell to adults everywhere that alcohol and tobacco are sold.
“There’s something extraordinarily perverse when we’re so concerned about preventing addicts from having access to drugs that we destroy the lives of many times more people, either through untreated pain or other drug war damage”.