A study was recently this month released by the Automobile Association of America (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety which found that incidents of fatal car accidents in Washington state involving drivers who tested positive for THC have nearly doubled since legalization began in 2014. AAA concludes that this may evidence a link between recreational legalization and fatal accidents, but also warned that there is a lack of evidence to support that THC was actually a factor in those accidents.

As we discussed in last month’s issue, determining impairment is a major problem when it comes to marijuana consumption. While an individual can test positive for marijuana weeks, even months after consumption, there is no scientifically accepted test for determining the effects of marijuana impairment on an individual’s ability to drive. This means that individuals who had consumed marijuana in prior weeks, who were then involved in a fatal accident, were also included in this data, leaving doubt about whether those individuals were actually impaired by marijuana at the moment of their fatal crash.

AAA makes it clear that their organization is opposed to marijuana legalization because of the inherent difficulties in determining impairment, as well as the added traffic safety risk. For more information on AAA's conclusions and perspective, click here .