COMMENTARY | A research study conducted by Daniel Rees of the University of Colorado Denver and Mark Anderson of Montana State University reveals an interesting new statistic that adds to the pro-marijuana legalization argument: The study shows that states that legalized medical marijuana saw an almost 9 percent drop in traffic fatalities.
The two economists looked at traffic fatalities in 13 states that enacted medical marijuana laws between 1990 and 2009, discovering the correlation between the decrease in deadly traffic accidents and the legalization of pot. Rees and Anderson explain that young adults are drinking less in states with legalized marijuana, as illustrated by data from the Beer Institute that shows a decline in beer sales in the states in question.
Furthermore, the researchers have theorized that it’s either safer to drive under the influence of pot than it is to drive while drunk – or, quite possibly, people who smoke pot tend to stay home more. Either way, the data shows that the roads are safer in states where medical marijuana is legal.
Add this to the running list of reasons why pot should be made legal on a nationwide level. The cause certainly has public support. In a recent Gallup poll performed in October of 2011, 50 percent of respondents agreed that it was time to legalize marijuana, while only 46 percent disagreed. The level of support has climbed over the years, from 12 percent in 1969, to 30 percent in 2000 and to 40 percent in 2009 before 2011’s poll.
If marijuana were made legal in all fifty states, the government could profit from tax revenues on the product, as with cigarettes and alcohol. This money could also be used in education and healthcare. The government is instead depleting resources and funds on prosecuting those who use and sell marijuana. If the product were legal, these small-time drug dealers would be put out of business, and perhaps we’d see a drop in crime.
Marijuana offers many health benefits, including relief from pain, and is non-toxic to humans. It is almost impossible to overdose on marijuana, and users of marijuana maintain that it is safer and not as addictive as alcohol or tobacco. As such, many consider it unfair to treat users of marijuana more harshly than users of alcohol or tobacco.
The reasons to legalize pot are many, and this new research on road safety only adds to the argument. It’s high time the federal government legalized marijuana.
Sources:
Clayton Sandell, Driving Stoned: Safer Than Driving Drunk?, ABC News
Marijuana Legalization Support At Record High, CBS News
Top Ten Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal, High Times