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Abstract: 

Prevention educators must accept that Americans are using marijuana as a recreational drug. A number of states, such as Washington and Colorado, have essentially passed measures legalizing marijuana. This new “marijuana nation” faces an increasing problem of marijuana-impaired drivers on the roadways. NHTSAcrash fatality statistics for 2011 indicate that 31% of the drivers were alcohol-impaired. Using a conservative figure estimating that 18% involved drug impairment, the total number of alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers is 49%. Because ethyl alcohol is a drug, this means that in almost half of all crashes a driver has taken a drug. Using the 49% figure and applying it to the 32,367 individuals who died in motor vehicle accidents in the United States in 2011, results in an estimate of approximately 15,860 individuals that may have died from chemically impaired drivers.

Keywords: Decriminalization; responsible use vs. zero tolerance

Affiliations:  1: Indiana Wesleyan University.