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Pot Smoking Doubles Risk of Car Accident

Study is first to probe link between marijuana and collisions: researchers

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 10, 2012 12:40 PM CST

(Newser) – Smoking marijuana three hours or less before getting behind the wheel nearly doubles your chance of a major car crash, a study suggests. It's the first study to look at the link between cannabis and crash risk, the Canadian researchers believe. They examined study data for more than 49,000 collision victims, limiting their research to crashes that didn't involve alcohol, CBC reports. "The level of impairment might not be as severe as alcohol intoxication, but it's there and it does require a public health response," says an expert.

Marijuana use can double the risk of a car accident, a study says.
Marijuana use can double the risk of a car accident, a study says.   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 107 comments
BCS
Feb 13, 2012 7:10 PM CST
"it does require a public health response, says an expert." What response would that be? OFFICER: are you high?  DRIVER: no i have allergies?  stalemate - driver wins
BCS
Feb 13, 2012 7:05 PM CST
It's okay because your only going 5mph when you crash.
Eleutherius
Feb 12, 2012 2:23 AM CST
It is entirely plausible that marijuana use leads to a big risk increase for collisions. But the problem is that this research is correlational and doesn't take into account pre-existing differences between people who smoke and drive and those who don't.
 

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