• Surely they didn't legalise driving while under the influence of marijuana?
    Surely they didn't legalise driving while under the influence of marijuana?
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According to a recent report in the US, drivers in states where marijuana has been legalised have a three per cent higher rate of crashes, compared to those where it isn't. The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDA) compared the three states (Colorado, Washington, and Oregon) that first legalised recreational weed use with neighbouring states (Nebraska, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, and Montana) that have more restrictive laws.

When each state with legal marijuana was compared with its direct neighbours, the increase in crash frequency was even higher.

Oregon's rate was 4.5 percent great than Nevada, Montana, and Idaho. Washington saw and increase of 6.2 percent when compared to Idaho and Montana.

Colorado saw the greatest spike in crashed with 13.9 percent more collisions than Nebraska, Utah, and Wyoming.

While the HLDA highlighted that there is limited data that connected marijuana with car crashes, they did note that THC, found in the drug, does slow reaction time.

The debate to legalise the drug still continues here in Australia, however, with an already poor on-road record when it comes drink driving and the death toll on some states' roads, statistics such as these are important to consider.

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