Motor vehicle crash fatalities and undercompensated care associated with legalization of marijuana

The state of Hawaii legalized the medical use of cannabis in 2000 and is one of more than 25 U.S. states who have done so. The wider impact of legislation legalizing cannabis use on health care has not been addressed fully in the literature. In this article, the authors explore whether legalization is associated with increased motor vehicle crash fatalities involving drivers who test positive for cannabis. They also explore the association between cannabis use, high-risk behavior and poor insurance status. Using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the years 1993 to 2000 (before legalization) and from 2001 to 2015 (after legalization), the authors compare the presence of cannabis (THC), methamphetamine, and alcohol in fatally injured drivers. Additionally, they used 1997-2013 data from Hawaii's highest level trauma center to identify THC status and 2011-2015 State Trauma Registry data to identify associations between cannabis, helmet/seatbelt use, and payor mix. Their findings reveal a nearly threefold increase in THC positivity among driver fatalities of since legalization in the state of Hawaii. Their findings also show that THC-positive patients are less likely to use helmets or other protective devices and nearly twice as likely to rely on public funding for the costs of their trauma care.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1097/ta.0000000000001983
• Record URL:
  https://journals.lww.com/jtrauma/Fulltext/2018/09000/Motor_vehicle_crash_fatalaties_and.19.aspx
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/21630755
• Authors:
  • Steinemann, Susan
  • Galanis, Daniel
  • Nguyen, Tiffany
  • Biffl, Walter
• Publication Date: 2018-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 566-571
• Serial:
  • Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
  • Volume: 85
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
  • ISSN: 2163-0755
  • EISSN: 2163-0763
  • Serial URL: http://journals.lww.com/jtrauma/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash rates; Drugged drivers; Fatalities; Health care; Human factors in crashes; Insurance; Marijuana; Risk taking; State laws
• Identifier Terms: Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)
• Uncontrolled Terms: THC (Cannabis)
• Geographic Terms: Hawaii
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01686008
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 20 2018 10:21AM