Association of Recreational Cannabis Laws in Colorado and Washington State With Changes in Traffic Fatalities, 2005-2017.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

An important consequence of cannabis legalization is the potential increase in the number of cannabis-impaired drivers on roads, which may result in higher rates of traffic-related injuries and fatalities. To date, limited information about the effects of recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) on traffic fatalities is available.

Objective

To estimate the extent to which the implementation of RCLs is associated with traffic fatalities in Colorado and Washington State.

Design, setting, and participants

This ecological study used a synthetic control approach to examine the association between RCLs and changes in traffic fatalities in Colorado and Washington State in the post-RCL period (2014-2017). Traffic fatalities data were obtained from the Fatality Analysis Re

SUBMITTER: Santaella-Tenorio J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7309574 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature