Survey Indicates Disconnct Between States With Legal Pot Vs. States Without

Marijuana legalization won at state ballot boxes in November 2016 amid broader public acceptance of a controlled substance that is still illegal under U.S. law. Although drivers don't consider marijuana to be quite as risky as alcohol when it comes to impaired driving, those who live in states that allow recreational use are more likely to view it as a highway safety problem than drivers in states without legalized use, a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) survey indicates.

IIHS scientists reached out to drivers 18 and older in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, which allow recreational use, and drivers in comparison states without legalized recreational marijuana use.

Drivers in the comparison states didn't deem marijuana as problematic as drivers in recreational use states. Forty-three percent of drivers in legal-use states said driving after using marijuana is a problem in their communities, compared with 28 percent in other states. Drivers who supported legalized recreational marijuana were much less likely to see driving after using marijuana as a problem than those who opposed legalization.

Further, drivers in marijuana-legal states were twice as likely to report using marijuana within the past year and more often were drinkers than the comparison-state drivers. They also were more likely to report driving within two hours of using marijuana or drinking alcohol relative to the comparison states.