The post Is A Rise In Pedestrian Deaths Really Due To Legal Cannabis? appeared first on High Times.
Is a rise in pedestrian deaths really due to legal cannabis? A traffic story published earlier this week says that just might be the case.
The study, published by the Governors’ Highway Safety Association, compiled records on pedestrian fatalities over a 10 year period. During that time, pedestrian deaths rose 27 percent. All other traffic fatalities actually decreased 14 percent during the same time.
The author of the study, traffic safety engineer Richard Retting, cited many possible causes for the dramatic increase. Cell phone use, increases in both walking and driving, and better economic conditions were all suggested as potential causes for the rise in deaths.
The ratio of pedestrian deaths to vehicle occupant deaths is also increasing. Improved safety technology in cars and trucks is reducing injuries and deaths for drivers and passengers.
Is Pot to Blame?
The study noted an interesting fact about the data from states with legal pot.
“The seven states (Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Massachusettes, Nevada, Oregon, Washington) and DC that legalized recreational use of marijuana between 2012 and 2016 reported a collective 16.4 percent increase in pedestrian traffic fatalities for the first six months of 2017 versus the first six of 2016, whereas all other states reported a collective 5.8 percent decrease in pedestrian fatalities.”
The study did not mention whether high drivers, walkers or a combination of the two could be to blame. Retting was clear to point out that the report was not making a direct correlation or expressly claiming a link between weed and walking deaths.
“We are not making a definitive, cause-and-effect link to marijuana,” Retting told