Behind the Wheel and Under the Influence: What Driving Data Reveals About America's Cannabis Shift
Legalization on the Rise, So Are Crashes
In 2011, recreational marijuana was illegal nationwide. As of 2025, 25 states allow adult-use cannabis, and the results on roadways are becoming harder to ignore. The Texas Law Dog's report found that the widespread legalization of marijuana is linked to a 6% increase in motor vehicle crashes and a 4% increase in fatal crashes nationwide.
Individual state data provides even starker illustrations. In Oregon, crash fatalities have increased by 22% since legalization. Alaska and Colorado have seen fatal crash spikes of 20% and 16%, respectively, while California reports a 14% rise. These increases aren't isolated they're part of a growing national trend.
Cannabis and Driving: A Deadly Mix
As marijuana becomes more accessible, its use is also becoming more casual. By 2019, nearly one in five Americans aged 12 or older reported using cannabis up from just 11% in 2002. More troubling is that a significant portion of users are taking to the roads while impaired.
The Texas Law Dog analysis revealed that 85% of cannabis users admit to driving the same day they consume the drug, with over half doing so within an hour. These findings are critical, given marijuana's well-documented impact on reaction time, attention, and coordination.
Cannabis is also emerging as a dominant factor in fatal crashes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, cannabis involvement in fatal accidents surpassed alcohol for the first time accounting for 33% of deaths compared to alcohol's 29%.
The Challenge of Poly-Substance Use
The threat of cannabis-impaired driving becomes more complex when other substances are involved. The study highlights that pre-pandemic, 18% of drivers involved in fatal crashes had multiple drugs in their systems. Post-pandemic, that figure climbed to 25%.
This trend poses challenges not just for enforcement, but also for toxicology and crash analysis. Determining whether cannabis was the primary impairment in such cases becomes increasingly difficult when alcohol or other drugs are also present.
A Tale of Two Policies: Medical vs. Recreational
Interestingly, not all cannabis laws have had the same effect on public safety. States with legalized recreational cannabis saw a 4–6% increase in crash rates. Meanwhile, states with only medical cannabis programs experienced a reduction in traffic fatalities between 8% and 11%.
This discrepancy may stem from how cannabis is distributed and consumed in these states. Recreational laws tend to widen access without the same medical oversight, potentially leading to more frequent and unregulated use by the general public.
A False Sense of Security Behind the Wheel
One of the most revealing aspects of The Texas Law Dog's findings is the disconnect between perceived and actual risk. While 70% of users said driving within an hour of cannabis use was 'highly dangerous,' and 93% believed their friends or family would disapprove, many still drive high.
Why the contradiction? Nearly 30% of users believe law enforcement wouldn't be able to detect their impairment. With limited roadside tools to measure THC levels and no national threshold for cannabis DUI, many drivers feel they can get away with it.
The Legal Patchwork Fuels Public Confusion
Differences in cannabis laws from state to state only add to the problem. In Alaska, recreational users can carry up to one ounce, but medical users may possess up to 2.5 ounces every two weeks. In California, medical patients are allowed eight ounces. In some states, like Idaho and Nebraska, all cannabis possession is still illegal.
This legal inconsistency creates a minefield of confusion for both law enforcement and drivers, especially those crossing state lines. Uniform standards on THC limits and impaired driving penalties could go a long way in closing these gaps.
Solutions That Balance Freedom and Safety
Legalizing cannabis doesn't have to mean compromising traffic safety. The Texas Law Dog study calls for a smarter approach to impaired driving prevention. Among the proposed strategies: Development of reliable roadside THC testing
Standardized DUI laws across state lines
Expanded public education on cannabis impairment
Stronger restrictions on driving post-use
Increased funding for drug-impaired driving research
States that legalize cannabis should do so with a parallel commitment to traffic safety. That includes investing in law enforcement training, refining legislation, and ensuring that public messaging keeps up with the pace of policy reform.
Conclusion: Freedom Without Responsibility Isn't Freedom at All
The movement toward cannabis legalization shows no signs of slowing, but the data shows a clear cost: more crashes, more deaths, and more uncertainty on the road. The Texas Law Dog's study reveals a growing risk that demands a balanced, evidence-based response.
As lawmakers navigate the future of drug policy, ensuring public safety must remain part of the equation. Because every right, including the right to use cannabis, carries a responsibility especially when lives are on the line.
TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
5 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
In Trump vs. Planned Parenthood, New England states brace for cuts
She said her organization is facing a loss of $5 million, including the Trump administration's decision earlier in the year to withhold federal family planning funds — or about 42 percent of the organization's annual total patient revenue. Advertisement 'It's not something we can simply sustain,' said Clegg. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up The organization could still see its approximately 8,000 patients insured by Medicaid in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, but Planned Parenthood wouldn't be able to receive payment for services such as cancer screenings, birth control, and annual exams, according to Clegg. Planned Parenthood in New Hampshire has still not received $500,000 in family planning funds since The family planning program provides cancer screenings, birth control, and exams to low-income and uninsured residents. In Maine, about $400,000 has been frozen in family planning funds, and the state could lose another $1 million in Medicaid reimbursements. Vermont stands to lose about $1.6 million in Medicaid reimbursements, and Planned Parenthood believes an additional $760,000 for the state's family planning program could be at risk as well. Advertisement Planned Parenthood will be able to continue charging Medicaid as usual under the judge's 14-day decision, with the possibility it could be renewed for another 14 days, according to Clegg. 'Ideally, the courts make a determination that this was illegal, which is what we believe is the case,' said Clegg. In its If the court doesn't rule in their favor, Clegg said the organization will turn to state leaders and community fund-raising efforts for additional support. The organization estimates that about 200 health centers across the country could close as a result of the cuts. Since 2022, Planned Parenthood has closed seven health centers in Vermont and one in New Hampshire, according to Clegg. She said the centers that are most at risk are in areas that are already medically underserved. The In New Hampshire, Planned Parenthood serves about 10,000 patients a year, and one in five are on Medicaid, according to Montgomery. Medicaid insurance Advertisement 'The Trump Administration is ending the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion — a commonsense position that the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with,' a A spokesperson for New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the state's family planning program. Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
A new Barbie wears blue polka-dots, and a glucose monitor
The company released the Barbie with Breakthrough T1D, an advocacy and research organization with the goal of finding a cure for diabetes. Advertisement Introducing a doll with Type 1 diabetes was part of Mattel's 'commitment to inclusivity and representation,' Krista Berger, the company's senior vice president of Barbie and global head of dolls, said in a statement. She said a Barbie with an insulin pump would help some children see themselves in the stories they imagine while playing. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Tens of millions of Americans have some form of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the pancreas to make very little insulin or none at all. Unlike Type 2 diabetes, which usually emerges slowly in adulthood and can sometimes be reversed early on with exercise and dietary changes, Type 1 often strikes in childhood or adolescence. On TikTok and Instagram, some users with Type 1 diabetes expressed their joy with the new Barbie, some sharing emotional posts about seeing their disease represented. Advertisement Anurati Aggarwal, who posts about Type 1 diabetes online from Goa, India, was among them. 'Sorry I can't hold my excitement,' she said on Instagram. 'This is actually so emotional for me. The little me who was obsessed with Barbies would lose her mind if she saw this.' Managing diabetes can be difficult. People with the disease have to monitor sugar levels and inject insulin around the clock. It can also lead to complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney damage and the possibility of losing a limb to amputation. The newest Barbie is part of Mattel's Fashionistas line, which the company has called its 'most diverse doll line.' Last year, Mattel introduced a blind Barbie, who has a red-and-white cane with a marshmallow roller tip and sunglasses suited for light-sensitive eyes. In 2019, Mattel released a Barbie in a wheelchair and a Barbie with a prosthetic limb. Other dolls in the Fashionistas line include a Barbie with Down syndrome, a Barbie with hearing aids, a bald Barbie, a Barbie with a skin condition and Barbies with different hair types and body shapes. Barbie, one of the most successful dolls of all time, was criticized for a period in the early 2000s as other companies started to manufacture more diverse and inclusive dolls while she continued to look roughly the same as her 1959 self. In 2010, the company apologized for a book about Barbie and computers that critics said was sexist. Since then, the company has worked to reinvent Barbie. And in 2023, Barbie's favorite color — bright pink, obviously — catapulted back to the center of popular culture with the release of 'Barbie,' the movie directed by Greta Gerwig that earned $1.4 billion worldwide. Advertisement This article originally appeared in .
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
US Birth Rates Are Falling—But It's Not Worrying Americans
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump and Congress have offered tax credits and proposed legislation to tackle declining birth rates in the U.S., but according to polling, Americans don't consider the issue to be a "major problem." Fertility rates are projected to average 1.6 births per woman over the next three decades, according to the Congressional Budget Office's latest forecast released this year. This number is below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman required to maintain a stable population without immigration. Despite those numbers, only three in 10 Americans say declining birth rates are a "major problem" in the United States, according to a recent survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 12 percent of those surveyed said that encouraging families to have more children should be a "high priority" for the government, researchers found after they interviewed 1,158 U.S. adults between June 5 and June 9. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Overall, 28 percent of Americans surveyed said declining birth rates were a "major problem" while 44 percent said it was a "minor problem" and 27 percent said it was "not a problem." A newborn baby in the hospital. A newborn baby in the hospital. EyeEm'Americans Correctly See the Problem as Not Having the Support They Need' Taking a closer look at the numbers, Americans seem to be concerned about the issues that they think may be the cause of birth rate declines. Some 76 percent said the cost of child care is a major problem while 41 percent said the same about the cost of fertility treatments. The risks of pregnancy and childbirth was also placed above birth rates with 39 percent saying they are a "major problem" and 43 percent saying they are a "minor problem." "Americans correctly see the problem as not having the support they need to have the number of kids they want whether that's zero kids or five kids," said Beth Jarosz, a senior program director U.S. programs at the Population Reference Bureau. "Americans understand that birth rates themselves are not a problem," she told Newsweek. "Birth rates only become challenging—whether they're high or low—when society doesn't plan ahead." "A large number of babies without a plan means overcrowded schools, but you can plan ahead and build those schools," she continued. "The same is true for a smaller number—things like workforce training, automation, and family supportive workplace policies (like child care, consistent scheduling, and flexible leave) mean that we don't need to be afraid of low birth rates." Declining Birth Rate Is Not Just an American Issue Financial concerns are repeatedly cited as a reason for not having children. Last month, the United Nations Population Fund warned of a global birth rate crisis, after finding that one in five had not had or did not expect to have the number of children they wanted. Some 39 percent said this was because of financial limitations. But financial concerns do not appear to be the lone cause of declines with cultural shifts also playing a role in global birthrate. For example, Norway is considered a global leader in parental leave offering parents 12 months of shared paid leave for birth and an additional year each afterward. It has also made kindergarten (similar to a U.S. day care) a statutory right for all children aged 1 or older in 2008. And yet, Norway's fertility rate has dropped dramatically from 1.98 children per woman in 2009 to 1.44 children per woman in 2024, according to official figures. Newsweek spoke to several experts about Norway specifically, who all cited recent culture changes. For example, "young adults are more likely to live alone" and "young couples split up more frequently than before," Rannveig Kaldager Hart, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health's Centre for Fertility and Health said. Recent Pew Research Center analysis showed that fewer Americans in their 20s and 30s are planning to have fewer children than a decade ago. "Focusing on intentions rather than outcomes this study highlights the deeply complex and nuanced challenge of boosting birth rate," Theodore D. Cosco, a research fellow at the University of Oxford's Institute of Population Aging, told Newsweek. "By flagging lower intentions as an upstream issue, we recognize that both immediate and long‐term factors must be tackled well before births occur," he continued. "If there is going to be meaningful change in birth rates, upstream and downstream factors will need to be addressed in a comprehensive and accessible manner."
