Traffic Safety

There are many assumptions to how marijuana can affect our society. There is a lot of
concern about safety. One part of safety that receive much attention in this topic of legalizing
marijuana is traffic crimes. Studies were done that argues whether marijuana is a factor in
traffic crimes. A 2013 study found that traffic fatalities was reduced in states that legalized
marijuana. (; D. Mark Anderson) On the other hand in 2016 a study inferred that Marijuana-
related traffic deaths increased 62% in Colorado since its legalization of marijuana. (Rocky
Mountian High Intensity Drug Trafficking area organization) Another study suggests that
traffic fatalities has not increased but the car crashes are up about 6% in Colorado, Oregon,
and Washington in comparison with other neighboring cities that has not legalized the use of
Marijuana. (High Way Loss Data Institute) In reading studies that has been published about
traffic crimes relating to marijuana, one has to think what does this mean for Guam. One
question that needs to be answered is how marijuana affect the drivers of these motor
vehicles? Many research has been done on how marijuana affects the brain and our skills.
One research that focused on the aspect of driving concluded that drivers who use weed
before driving had slower thinking and perceptual skills. (Bosker) Arguments are formed
whether marijuana is a factor in traffic accidents, but before one can conclude the statistics
must be taken into consideration.

References
Bosker, W M et al. "A placebo-controlled study to assess Standardized Field Sobriety Tests
performance during alcohol and cannabis intoxication in heavy cannabis users and accuracy
of point of collection testing devices for detecting THC in oral fluid." Psychopharmacology
Vol. 223, 4 (2012): pg. 439-46. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3456923/>.

D. Mark Anderson, Benjamin Hansen and Daniel I. Rees. "Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities,
and Alchohol Consupmtion." The Journal of Law & Economics Vol. 56 No.2 (2013): pg. 333-
369. <https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/668812>.

High Way Loss Data Institute. "Recreational marijuana and collision claim frequencies." Insurances
losses and marijuana Vol. 34, No. 14 (2017): pg. 1-8. Bulletin.
<https://www.iihs.org/media/806f7c38-4594-4bbe-82ff-
df4a749f5153/9fJfcw/HLDI%20Research/Bulletins/hldi_bulletin_34-14.pdf>.

Rocky Mountian High Intensity Drug Trafficking area organization. The Legalization of Marijuana in
Colorado : The Impact. Vol. 4. Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, 2016.
<https://www.rmhidta.org/html/2016%20FINAL%20Legalization%20of%20Marijuana%20in
%20Colorado%20The%20Impact.pdf>.