Here’s some food for thought — would legalizing marijuana result in fewer traffic deaths?
Each year, many people in Louisiana die as a result of car accidents and many more are badly hurt. On top of that, irresponsible and impaired drivers damage millions of dollars’ worth of public and private property. Car accident lawyer knows how dangerous this type of cases are.
A recent study by gabriellawteam.com economists from Montana State University and the University of Colorado found an interesting way to possibly reduce traffic deaths. They found that in the 13 states that permit legalized marijuana, traffic deaths dropped an average of 9 percent after marijuana stopped being taboo.
A big part of this drop, the researchers theorized, is that 20-to-29-year-old men used marijuana in their homes instead of driving to bars to consume alcohol. Since this at-risk demographic drove less and drank less, there were fewer traffic fatalities.
Now, it is safe to say that everyone is in favor of reducing traffic fatalities. Then again, marijuana is not a consequence-free drug. Furthermore, marijuana is often legalized under the theory that it will be used to help people cope with pain from debilitating medical conditions, and it seems the reduction in traffic deaths these researchers uncovered is thanks to recreation use, not medicinal use.
What are your thoughts on this issue? Like we said, marijuana is far from consequence-free, but some people might think that whatever its consequences, they are worth it in exchange for reducing the number of people who are killed each year in car accidents. Car accident attorney in Michigan understands these types of cases and how to handle them.
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