Car insurance premiums could rise as a result of legalized marijuana, experts say
Vehicle insurance claims in the Land of
As early as next week, Gov.
When claims are really up, companies often implement rate increases, Connolly said.
Premiums in
In the four states that were among the first to legalize pot --
The highway safety group also examined 2012 -- 16 crashes reported to police before and after retail sales began in
"The new IIHS-HLDI research on marijuana and crashes indicates that legalizing marijuana for all uses is having a negative impact on the safety of our roads,"
While accident numbers have risen, attributing the cause directly to marijuana isn't as clear.
The IIHS-HLDI report notes many states don't include consistent information on driver drug use in crash reports, and policies and procedures for drug testing are inconsistent.
In addition, when drivers are tested, other drugs are often found in combination with alcohol, which makes it difficult to isolate their separate effects.
A possible reason for increased number of crashes could be drivers' perceptions of the dangers of driving high.
A report issued this month by the
The 2019 Traffic Safety Culture Index surveyed a sample of 2,582 licensed drivers ages 16 and older who reported driving in the past 30 days.
"Marijuana can significantly alter reaction times and impair a driver's judgment," Dr.
In the
A similar report released in April by The Zebra showed 40.9% people who smoke pot regularly in states where it's legal say they never drive after consuming marijuana. That leaves nearly 60% who will get behind the wheel, whether they feel like they're impaired or not.
An increase in the number of crashes in states that have legalized marijuana is not surprising to
Weiner said studies show marijuana can slow a driver's reaction time and decision-making and can impair lateral coordination and distort perception.
He cited a 1991 study in which pilots flew a simulator before and four, eight, 24 and 48 hours after smoking a moderate social dose of marijuana.
The results of the study suggest "very complex human/machine performance can be impaired as long as 24 hours after smoking a moderate social dose of marijuana, and that the user may be unaware of the drug's influence."
"Marijuana does not behave like alcohol does," Weiner said, and that's because of how THC, the active ingredient of cannabis, works.
THC is attracted to fat in the body so it leaves the blood stream quickly, Weiner said, unlike alcohol that is concentrated in blood.
"The brain is a big ball of fat," Weiner said. "THC is in your brain longer than it's in your blood."
Determining whether a person is impaired or not can be tricky because no good test exists yet, Weiner said.
An individual's blood-alcohol content can be measured through a breath, blood or urine test to determine if a person is too drunk to drive.
But testing THC levels the same way is problematic, Weiner said, because THC does not stay in the blood long enough. A person can be high, though THC levels say otherwise, he said.
"
Programs like Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and the 50-State Drug Evaluation and Classification Program were developed to train law enforcement officers to more effectively recognize drug-impaired driving.
In the meantime,
City Manager
The council can opt out of allowing the retail sale within city limits, and council members have until the end of 2020 to make that decision.
After the program's first year, the decision to opt out of retail sale of pot must be put to residents in a referendum question.
Regardless of whether
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