Pam Dudding
Contributing writer
The plant that has been legalized and causing so much controversy in many states is now being a hot topic in many group meetings.
Recently, the Roanoke Prevention Alliance posed questions regarding whether marijuana should now be legalized due to the negative impact it is already having in other states.
Their two main questions were “Is now the right time?” and “Is Virginia Ready?”
They based their questions on factual findings of marijuana:
- Four legalized states reported crashes increased six percent compared to non-legalized neighboring states
- Marijuana impairs driver’s reaction times and judgment
- Car insurance premiums went up
- No roadside tests available for law enforcement
- More tools and training are required to detect impaired driving from marijuana use
- 60 percent of regular marijuana users, in legalized states, report they drive whether they feel impaired or not
- $200 was the average increase in Colorado in auto insurance premiums (Averaged a 10 percent increase the year marijuana was legalized and averaged 16 percent increase the next year.)
- A 1991 marijuana study found effects on piloting tasks in a flight simulator even 24-hours after using a moderate social dose of marijuana
- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reported and “estimated 14.8 million drivers getting behind the wheel within one-hour after using marijuana in…
