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Marijuana legalization has been a controversial issue in several states, particularly in the US. As policymakers continue to debate its feasibility, present statistical studies have revealed that people killed in traffic accidents have decreased after medical marijuana law was introduced. Will this inspire a massive legalization of the medical herb?

Research claims that deaths due to traffic accidents minimized by about 11 percent in states wherein marijuana legalization had been applied.

Data showed that 1.2 million casualties have been occurring from 1985 to 2014. For states that legalized the use of the controversial natural drug, a lower death toll compared to those where marijuana is deemed illegal was reported, according to Reuters. Results of the study present a 12 percent drop in recorded deaths in people aged 25 to 44, the demographic labeled as the largest consumers of registered medical marijuana. 

The Journal of Law and Economics suggested that the significant decrease in traffic accidents was due to the marijuana legalization in some US states this year as well. 

Benjamin Hansen, one of the authors of the study, said that medical marijuana does not mitigate public safety but actually improves fatality rates. In fact, this has remained true in seven states such as Connecticut and Rhode Island where marijuana legalization has taken place. 

Further, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health also suggested that the decline of deaths on the road may be due to the shifting of vices, where people are smoking marijuana instead of drinking too much alcohol, as noted by KRDO. Road accidents are primarily caused by intoxication and the legalization of marijuana has significantly lowered the incidents of death due alcohol.

However, authorities have not yet established a plan to detect whether drivers are high on marijuana or not when they are being pulled over for questioning. 

After marijuana legalization, researchers have encouraged more studies and surveys to be conducted for further evidence that allowing people to smoke and sell pot can have positive effects when it comes to traffic fatalities.