A new peer-reviewed study has found that Connecticut’s move to legalize recreational cannabis in 2023 did not lead to an increase in car accidents, either across the state or in neighborhoods surrounding dispensaries.
Published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research and made available online by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the research adds to the growing body of evidence examining the real-world impacts of legalization on road safety.
Researchers from the University of Alberta, Yale University School of Medicine and Loma Linda University analyzed crash data from Connecticut and Maryland for two 24-week periods before and after legalization. The results showed no statistically significant impact on overall accident rates, even after accounting for seasonal trends and other factors. Locally, the team also looked at accident patterns within 800 meters of 13 dispensaries, comparing eight weeks before and after their openings. That analysis likewise found no meaningful change in collision rates.
“In the statewide analysis comparing Connecticut with Maryland over two 24-week periods before and after RCL in Connecticut, no significant effect on MVAs was found after adjusting for autocorrelation and seasonal variations (interaction term coefficient = -0.0391, p = 0.0696)”, states the study. “In the local analysis, examining accident rates within an 800-m radius of 13 dispensaries over 8 weeks before and after their openings, the negative binomial mixed-effects model showed no significant change (incidence rate ratio = 1.10, 95% confidence interval: 0.74-1.64, p = 0.63).”
Researchers conclude by saying “These findings suggest that cannabis legalization and dispensary openings did not significantly impact motor vehicle accident rates during the study period.”
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