According to a new report, the marijuana holiday that occurs on April 20th, known as 4/20, is a scary time for some to be on the road.
The holiday is when marijuana users publicly celebrate their use of the drug and it has been shown that there is an uptick in fatal traffic crashes on that evening.
According to the analysis of crash data that was led by lead researcher Dr. John Staples, who is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia in Canada, the chance of dying in a fatal wreck increases about 12% on April 20th.
The study has found that teenager drivers have an even higher risk of dying in a fatal crash that day.
Staples said, “Among drivers younger than 21 years of age, the risk of crash involvement was 38 percent higher.”
“Cannabis impairs key skills needed for driving. The public should know don’t drive high,” Staples explained. “Impairment with drugs and alcohol increases the risk of a crash.”
Staples and his team used 25 years of crash data from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to Paul Armentano who is the deputy director of NORML, which advocates the reform of marijuana laws, “The data in this paper does not identify whether any of the drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents on the day in question were either under the influence of marijuana or responsible for the accident.”
