Since March 31, 2021, recreational use of marijuana is legal in New York. While this is a progressive step, there are some consequences and impacts that need to be kept in mind. Various researches have been done in the United States that attempt to study the impact of cannabis legalization with respect to safety and occurrence of accidents. 

In addition to New York, 10 states have legalized the recreational use of cannabis. Data suggests that crashes are up as much as 5.2% in states that have legalized marijuana in comparison to neighboring states that have not. These estimates do not include New York. A study was done exclusively in Colorado brought out the following insights: 

  • Significant increase in consumption of marijuana with sales doubling between 2014 to 2018.
  • Roughly 14% of legal adult residents admitted to using marijuana in the past 30 days. Another 20% youth admitted to using marijuana. Consumption is especially dangerous for young drivers facing the learning curve that comes with driving on top of drug impairment.
  • As use of cannabis has increased, drugged driving fatalities have also increased. Drugged driving fatalities have increased 153% between 2013 and 2017.

With respect to driving, here are some important findings:

  • 69% of cannabis users have driven under the influence of marijuana at least once in the past year.
  • 27% of cannabis users admitted to driving high almost daily.
  • 10% believe cannabis use makes them a better driver.

Using the above data, Siler & Ingber conducted a study to derive similar estimates for New York. Here are the findings: 

  • 14.391% of legal adult residents have admitted to using in the past 30 days in Colorado. That would equate to 2,244,266 adults in NY.
  • Approximately 61.3% of the New York population has a driver’s license. That would put approximately 949,257 pot users behind the wheel while high at least once in a year in New York. That would also equate to roughly 371,448 drivers driving impaired by marijuana on a daily basis.
  • Per year, 12,133 marijuana hospitalizations are expected.
  • Approximately 408 cases of drugged driving fatalities are estimated per year based on the number of drivers in New York.
  • With regard to DUI, 1,946 cases are estimated to be reported every year based on the number of drivers.

The detailed findings of the study are available here. As this study was conducted before the legalization of marijuana in New York, and based on estimates, Siler & Ingber plans to update the study using actual facts and figures as data comes in.

What can you do if you suffer an injury in a marijuana-related incident?

If you suffer an injury due to someone who is under the influence of cannabis, you can hire a personal injury attorney to represent you. This includes car accidents, injury on someone’s property, pedestrian accidents, etc. 

If you or someone you know has suffered an injury due to someone’s negligence and you need the best injury attorney, contact Siler & Ingber today. Call us on 1-877-529-4343 or complete our online form on this page to schedule a case evaluation with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers. Our consultation is free and we do not charge a fee unless we win your case.

The Impact Of Marijuana Legalization

Would New York legalizing recreational marijuana increase road accidents? We took a look at the stats in our latest study.

View Study