AAA Warns of the Dangers of Driving While Under the Influence of Marijuana

A new study shows how cannabis use while driving can be just as dangerous as drunk driving.

According to AAA Spokesperson, Kimberly Schwind, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently did a study in Washington state and found that fatal crashes involving drivers that recently used marijuana have doubled after the state legalized the drug.

"The state legalized the drug in Decemeber of 2012. Between 2013 and 2014 fatal crashes involving drivers who have recently used marijuana doubled from 8 percent to 17 percent. This is an eye opening case study and it’s something that we really need to take a look at because, a lot of states around the country are looking to legalize marijuana," said Schwind.

Schwind said Ohio officials are looking to possibly legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes here in Ohio making it the 25th state in the U.S to do so. She said AAA’s goal is to bring awareness of the dangers of driving while impaired by marijuana.

"While AAA does not have a stance on either for or against the legalization of marijuana we really look at the study and we look at the data and we want drivers to be aware that just because a drug is legal does not mean that it is safe to use while you’re driving," said Schwind.

For more information on this and other research visit AAAFoundation.org.