Safe roads are a huge concern for nearly everyone. We drive on the roads, as do our loved ones. And we know that chaos on the roadways will harm residents of the state that we love and invite federal intervention and voter backlash. Measure 91 maintains current driving under the influence laws that prohibit driving under the influence of marijuana or any other substance. Measure 91 also penalizes using marijuana while driving and mandates that the state examine existing research and studies and, if necessary, conduct additional research regarding highway safety and make any needed changes to the driving code.
Some people claim that regulating marijuana will lead to more dangerous highways. We now have facts on the ground indicating that legalizing medical marijuana hasn’t increased highway fatalities and accidents. In many instances, the highways have actually gotten safer.
Now recent data from the Colorado Department of Transportation are showing highway fatalities in that state since full legalization of marijuana are actually lower than previous years.
The Washington Post provides more detail about this data:
Since the new Colorado law took effect in January, the “drugged driver” panic has only intensified. I’ve already written about one dubious example, in which the Colorado Highway Patrol and some local and national media perpetuated a story that a driver was high on pot when he slammed into a couple of police cars parked on an interstate exit ramp. While the driver did have some pot in his system, his blood-alcohol level was off the charts and was far more likely the cause of the accident. In my colleague Marc Fisher’s recent dispatch from Colorado, law enforcement officials there and in bordering states warned that they’re seeing more drugged drivers. Congress recently held hearings on the matter, complete with dire predictions such as “We are going to have a lot more people stoned on the highway and there will be consequences,” from Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.). Some have called for a zero tolerance policy — if you’re driving with any trace of pot in your system, you’re guilty of a DWI. That would effectively ban anyone who smokes pot from driving for up to a couple of weeks after their last joint, including people who legitimately use the drug for medical reasons.
It seems to me that the best way to gauge the effect legalization has had on the roadways is to look at what has happened on the roads since legalization took effect. Here’s a month-by-month comparison of highway fatalities in Colorado through the first seven months of this year and last year. For a more thorough comparison, I’ve also included the highest fatality figures for each month since 2002, the lowest for each month since 2002 and the average for each month since 2002.
As you can see, roadway fatalities this year are down from last year, and down from the 13-year average.
Measure 91 does not advocate for marijuana use, let alone driving under the influence of marijuana. The measure includes the necessary precautions to help ensure that our roadways remain as safe as possible. In addition to keeping driving under the influence laws intact and penalizing driving while using marijuana, new tax revenue will fund additional Oregon State Police officers, more training for all state police, as well as local and county law enforcement. Millions of dollars will also be generated to fund drug prevention programs that will help educate Oregonians about the dangers of drugs, including driving impaired. The data from Colorado is clear, Measure 91 will not create chaos on the roads and will better prioritize law enforcement resources and even provide more funding to help keep our roads as safe.