Canada isn’t the first country to legalize adult-use marijuana. That title will forever belong to Uruguay, which legalized marijuana about five years before Canada.

However, Canada is the first G-7 country Legalized adult-use marijuana and remains the only G-7 country to do so.

Compared to Uruguay, Canada’s legalization model is more open, and since Canada began legalization in 2018, anyone of legal age can buy it.

The North American country immediately became a unique public policy experiment, with lawmakers and marijuana enthusiasts from around the globe watching developments closely.

One thing marijuana opponents claim will be an increase in problems on public roads heralds an inevitable “stone driver epidemic.”

A new study sheds light on why this claim has been proven false over time.

No increase in traffic injuries

A University of British Columbia study led by affiliated associate professor Dr. Las Callaghan recently explored traffic accident data in Canada.

The purpose of the study was to see if there was a surge in traffic injuries after Canada legalized marijuana for adult use, a concern expressed by marijuana opponents, as mentioned earlier.

“The project examines all Ontario and Alberta Emergency department data from April 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019.The research team found no evidence of a significant change in traffic injury emergency department visits for all drivers or youth drivers following the legalization of marijuana,” the researchers said in a study. Press release Announcing the results of the study.

“Implementation of marijuana legalization has raised widespread concern that such legislation may increase traffic-related harm, especially among young adults,” Dr. Callahan said in the release. “However, our results show no evidence that legalization is associated with significant changes in emergency department traffic injury reporting.”

Never drive under the influence of alcohol

It is always worth noting that no one should drive under the influence of marijuana or any other intoxicating substance.

This is something that everyone should take very seriously. Public roads need to be safe so that no one is injured, or even worse, no one is killed.

Also, it’s important for people, especially policymakers, to understand that just because someone has cannabinoids in their system, it doesn’t automatically equate to intoxication.

Motor vehicle policy needs to be science-based to help ensure that truly intoxicated drivers are identified and that drivers who are not intoxicated are not penalized.