Recreational Cannabis in Washington: Are There Consequences Behind the Wheel?

• In Event: Smoking, Drinking and Driving: Impacts of New Regulation Policies

Abstract

On November 6, 2012, Washington citizens voted to allow the purchase of recreational cannabis. The implementation of this law has been fraught with challenges and raised many questions. One of the most important questions is how to determine when people are too impaired to drive? This poses a challenge for law enforcement as THC blood tests are unable to distinguish whether the results are simply carboxy or if they indicate impairment. We will examine Washington’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data from 2011-2015 to determine if there has been an increase in traffic fatalities involving cannabis after it was legalized.

Author

• John R. Turner, Washington State University