TOLEDO, Ohio — Marijuana and getting behind the wheel. It's a combination that Russ Rader, a senior vice president with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said research and statistics show to be a dangerous one.
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The organization took a look at data from all 23 states that have legalized marijuana and compared crash data before and after recreational use was passed. Rader said the numbers speak for themselves.
"What we have found over time is that crash risk go up in states that have legalized marijuana compared to states that haven't," Rader said. "We looked at police data and found it went up 6%."
Six percent might not sound like much, but according to the Ohio Department of Safety, there were nearly 266,000 total crashes across the state last year. If you add in the 6% the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is alluding to, that could mean nearly 16,000 more crashes.
Another factor, Rader said, is that marijuana is even harder to detect than alcohol.
"In terms of being able to measure it with a device, measure blood content," Rader said. "So that's why it's really important to have these conversations with law enforcement to begin with."
WTOL 11 reached out to Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn to get his take on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's data, and he said it comes as no surprise.
"I don't know how many times I've arrested someone for drunk driving who thought they were capable," Wasylyshyn said.
It's a problem the Buckeye state had even before legalization was on the table; according to Ohio State Highway Patrol data, in the last four years alone there have been more than 8,500 marijuana-related crashes across the state and 1,300 deaths.
Wasylyshyn says he is not looking forward to seeing that number potentially go up with legalization. But he said no matter what, they can continue to watch for the key indicators.
"The biggest thing is going to be their behavior. How they act, whether- and the critical thing is how are they driving. Wide turns, failing to stop at stop signs, failing turn signals," said Wasylyshyn.
But the sheriff said ultimately, the data will not lie.
"Statistically, if we look at all the states where it's happened, and I don't know why we'd be any different, there is going to be more crashes," Wasylyshyn said.
The latest Baldwin Wallace poll shows that 57% of Ohioans are in favor of voting in favor of Issue 2. The final result will be determined when polls close on Tuesday.
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