A new study from Colorado has shown that the number of highway deaths that involve drivers in the state who had marijuana in their system has risen in 2017.
Ironically, traffic fatalities where drivers had marijuana in their bloodstream that deemed them legally impaired saw a big drop, from 52 in 2016 to 35 in 2017.
The Colorado Department of Transportation study has said, “The presence of a cannabinoid does not necessarily indicate recent use of marijuana or impairment.”
This is because the drug can remain in a person’s bloodstream for weeks which means during the time of a positive blood test, the person may not be stoned.
The number of fatalities that have involved positive tests for marijuana has however doubled since recreational marijuana became legal in 2014. The number climbed from 75 to 126 in 2016 and then from 139 in 2017.
According to the report, 26% of those killed in crashes, which represented 171 people, had a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or greater. In 2016 this number was 161 and in 2015 it was 151.
The report also found that traffic deaths increased on state roads from 546 in 2015 to 648 in 2017.
According to Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) spokesman Sam Cole, the department considers the number of deaths in which the driver was marijuana-impaired under state law to be the most reliable indicator of its impact on the highways.
“Presence does not indicate impairment,” said Cole. He also added that “two years does not make a trend.”
Kristi Kelly, the executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group said that the industry needs to keep campaigning against smoking and driving. She said, “We don’t think our job is done.”
“More concerning is why people are combining” marijuana, alcohol and other drugs, she said. “The combination is very concerning.”
