Study: Legalizing medical cannabis appears to reduce drunk driving

A recently published study indicates that there is a link between U.S. states with cannabis programs medical care and a decrease in car accidents.

These data are part of a study published in Health Economics, which analyzed data and trends in auto insurance in the United States from 2014 to 2019.

The study's authors found that insurance premiums have fallen in states with programs to medical marijuana because those cars were involved in fewer traffic accidents.

According to the study, premiums decreased by about $22 per year after states implemented their medical cannabis programs. The effect is even more pronounced in areas geographically close to a dispensary, suggesting that easier access to cannabis further amplifies this effect.

In addition, there has been a significant decrease in insurance premiums in regions where the rate of drunk driving was relatively high before the legalization of medical cannabis.

Researchers believe this is due to a decrease in car accidents and drunk driving in these states, as drivers have substituted cannabis for alcohol and, for the most part, prefer to consume their medical cannabis at home—a de facto requirement in some states, since there are no designated social consumption areas.

«The legalization of medical cannabis has reduced auto insurance premiums by $1.5 billion in all states that have currently legalized it, with the potential to reduce premiums by an additional $900 million if the remaining states were to do so,» write the authors of the study.

A previous study from 2017 had already established a link between the enactment of medical cannabis programs and the decline alcohol consumption.