I could write about the Union-paid-for anti-gun rally at the NH statehouse today, or how they are protesting alongside the 420 pot rally folks who will also be there, but I decided to post this instead.
Researchers sought to learn whether there was any added risk of driving on April 20 – a recognized day of celebration in the United States among pot enthusiasts – when marijuana use is trumpeted and encouraged and legal sales are noticeably higher. And after examining 25 years of traffic crash data, what they found was a 12 percent increased risk of a fatal car crash taking place that day after 4:20 pm, the unofficial kickoff time of the drug’s holiday.
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FARS data showed that in that quarter century, there were 1,369 drivers involved in a motor vehicle crash during that 7-hour-40-minute window “on public roadways in which at least 1 participant died within 30 days of the event,” the authors reported. On the two control days, there were 2,453 similar incidents combined – an average of 1,226 per day, or 12 percent less.
Researchers working on the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that prior to the holiday’s unofficial start time risk did not increase.
There is no evidence that this report or the research was paid for by earth day hippies trying to get people not to drive.
Note: I believe Kimberly Morin is at the State House today reporting on both rallies and any mixing that might occur.
