States that Legalized Marijuana in 2016 Saw Significant Decline in Traffic Fatalities, Study Shows
A new study by Quartz Advisor has found that states that legalized marijuana in 2016 experienced a meaningful decrease in traffic fatalities in the years following the policy change. However, the findings become less clear when looking at a longer period of time that includes “anomalies” nationwide.
The study ultimately concludes that motor vehicle safety should not be a major concern for marijuana legalization initiatives, especially when compared to alcohol. According to the report, there is no significant increase in traffic fatalities in states where marijuana has been legalized, while alcohol, a legal and widely available intoxicant, continues to be a major contributor to traffic deaths.
The study examined traffic fatality data from four states that legalized adult-use cannabis in 2016: California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada. These states’ vehicle death rates were then compared to the national average and to rates in five states where marijuana remained illegal during that period: Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
Over the three years following the policy change, none of the four legalized states saw an increase in traffic deaths. In fact, most saw a decline. The paper states, “Three of the four states saw a significant decrease in vehicle deaths over that span, while the rate in Maine showed no change. Massachusetts saw the biggest drop, with rates falling by 28.6 percent in the three years following legalization.”
Combined, the four states that legalized marijuana saw an 11.6 percent drop in traffic death rates from 2016 to 2019, which is a sharper decline than the national average of 10.6 percent over the same period. In contrast, the five states where marijuana remained illegal experienced a 1.7 percent increase in their combined traffic death rate from 2016 to 2019.
However, the picture becomes less clear when looking at data from 2020 and 2021, the most recent years for which National Safety Council (NSC) numbers were available. During this time, the vehicle death rate actually rose in states that legalized marijuana, although it was still less than the national average. On the other hand, the states where cannabis was illegal saw a decrease in vehicle fatality rates.
The report states, “Among the states that legalized marijuana in 2016, the vehicle death rate increased by 6.0 percent between 2016 and 2021. While this is an increase, it is slightly less than the national average.”
