Rise of Car Crashes in States Where Marijuana is Legal: Report

There has been a rise of car crashes in places where recreational marijuana is legalized, a new report claims. 

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that legalizing recreational marijuana use in Colorado, Oregon and Washington has resulted in about 3 percent higher overall collision claim frequencies. 

"The combined-state analysis shows that the first three states to legalize recreational marijuana have experienced more crashes," Matt Moore, senior vice president of HLDI, said. "The individual state analyses suggest that the size of the effect varies by state."

Since the three states legalized recreational marijuana, Colorado had a 14 percent increase of collision claims compared to Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming, Washington had a 6.2 percent increase compared to Montana and Idaho, while Oregon had a 4.5 percent increase compared to Idaho, Montana and Nevada.

"This report reveals the same concerning trend we've seen in reports from the Governors Highway Safety Association and the AAA Foundation, underscoring the increased risk associated with legalization," Amy Parmenter, spokesperson for AAA in Greater Hartford, said. "AAA applauds Connecticut lawmakers for the careful consideration they have given this issue".

On June 6, for the first time, the Connecticut General Assembly brought a bill up for debate about regulating the recreational use of marijuana. The Speaker of the Connecticut House, Rep. Joe Aresimowicz conceded that the bill was about 12 votes short of passage.

Massachusetts started allowing recreational marijuana use in the state at the beginning of the year. 

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