scholarly journals Marijuana Decriminalization, Medical Marijuana Laws, and Fatal Traffic Crashes in US Cities, 2010–2017

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda C. Cook ◽  
Gregory Leung ◽  
Rhet A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Medical Marijuana ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Relative Increase ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Fatal Crashes ◽  
Marijuana Decriminalization ◽  
Medical Marijuana Laws ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Us Cities

Objectives. To determine the impact of city-level cannabis decriminalization and medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on fatal traffic crashes in US cities. Methods. Using a census of fatal traffic crashes from the 2010 to 2017 Fatality Analysis Reporting System, we examined MMLs and cannabis decriminalization on fatal crashes by age and sex of driver. We used a Poisson difference-in-differences approach, exploiting temporal and geographic variation in marijuana decriminalization laws. Results. Cities experienced a 13% increase in fatal crashes involving 15- to 24-year-old male drivers following decriminalization (incidence rate ratio = 1.125; 95% confidence interval = 1.014, 1.249). This effect was immediate and strongest on weekend nights. We found no effect on female drivers or older males. Conversely, we found that MMLs were associated with fewer fatal crashes for both males and females, which was most pronounced in 15- to 24-year-old drivers. Conclusions. Unlike MMLs, which are associated with fewer fatal crashes, cities experienced a relative increase in fatal crashes involving young male drivers following marijuana decriminalization. Public Health Implications. MMLs stipulate consumption occurs at home, whereas decriminalization only lessens the penalty for marijuana possession. Therefore, travel incentives of such laws have heterogeneous effects on traffic safety.

The Impact of Medical Marijuana Laws and Dispensaries on Self-Reported Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Andreyeva ◽  
Benjamin Ukert
Keyword(s):  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Medical Marijuana ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Risky Health Behaviors ◽  
High School Degree ◽  
Reported Health ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Medical Marijuana Laws ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Growing evidence suggests that medical marijuana laws have harm reduction effects across a variety of outcomes related to risky health behaviors. This study investigates the impact of medical marijuana laws on self-reported health using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 1993 to 2013. In our analyses we separately identify the effect of a medical marijuana law and the impact of subsequent active and legally protected dispensaries. Our main results show surprisingly limited improvements in self-reported health after the legalization of medical marijuana and legally protected dispensaries. Subsample analyses reveal strong improvements in health among non-white individuals, those reporting chronic pain, and those with a high school degree, driven predominately by whether or not the state had active and legally protected dispensaries. We also complement the analysis by evaluating the impact on risky health behaviors and find that the aforementioned demographic groups experience large reductions in alcohol consumption after the implementation of a medical marijuana law.

scholarly journals The annual cannabis holiday and fatal traffic crashes

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 433-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Harper ◽  
Adam Palayew
Keyword(s):  
Reporting System ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Fatal Accidents ◽  
Impaired Driving ◽  
Daily Variations ◽  
Fatal Crashes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundCannabis use has been linked to impaired driving and fatal accidents. Prior evidence suggests the potential for population-wide effects of the annual cannabis celebration on April 20th (‘4/20’), but evidence to date is limited.MethodsWe used data from the Fatal Analysis Reporting System for the years 1975–2016 to estimate the impact of ‘4/20’ on drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes occurring between 16:20 and 23:59 hours in the USA. We compared the effects of 4/20 with those for other major holidays, and evaluated whether the impact of ‘4/20’ had changed in recent years.ResultsBetween 1992 and 2016, ‘4/20’ was associated with an increase in the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes (IRR 1.12, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.28) relative to control days 1 week before and after, but not when compared with control days 1 and 2 weeks before and after (IRR 1.05, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.28) or all other days of the year (IRR 0.98, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.10). Across all years we found little evidence to distinguish excess drivers involved in fatal crashes on 4/20 from routine daily variations.ConclusionsThere is little evidence to suggest population-wide effects of the annual cannabis holiday on the number of drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes.

Impact of Florida’s prescription drug monitoring program on drug- related fatal vehicle crashes: a difference-in-differences approach

2021 ◽  
pp. injuryprev-2020-044113
Author(s):  
Moosa Tatar ◽  
Mohammad S. Jalali ◽  
Hyo Jung Tak ◽  
Li-Wu Chen ◽  
Ozgur M. Araz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Drug Monitoring ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Prescription Opioid ◽  
Vehicle Crashes ◽  
Opioid Misuse ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Fatal Crashes ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundPrescription drug use has soared in the USA within the last two decades. Prescription drugs can impair motor skills essential for the safe operation of a motor vehicle, and therefore can affect traffic safety. As one of the epicentres of the opioid epidemic, Florida has been struck by high opioid misuse and overdose rates, and has concurrently suffered major threats to traffic disruptions safety caused by driving under the influence of drugs. To prevent prescription opioid misuse in Florida, Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) were implemented in September 2011.ObjectiveTo examine the impact of Florida’s implementation of a mandatory PDMP on drug-related MVCs occurring on public roads.MethodsWe employed a difference-in-differences approach to estimate the difference in prescription drug-related fatal crashes in Florida associated with its 2011 PDMP implementation relative to those in Georgia, which did not use PDMPs during the same period (2009–2013). The analyses were conducted in 2020.ResultsIn Florida, there was a significant decline in drug-related vehicle crashes during the 22 months post-PDMP. PDMP implementation was associated with approximately two (−2.21; 95% CI −4.04 to –0.37; p<0.05) fewer prescribed opioid-related fatal crashes every month, indicating 25% reduction in the number of monthly crashes. We conducted sensitivity analyses to investigate the impact of PDMP implementation on central nervous system depressants and stimulants as well as cocaine and marijuana-related fatal crashes but found no robust significant reductions.ConclusionsThe implementation of PDMPs in Florida provided important benefits for traffic safety, reducing the rates of prescription opioid-related vehicle crashes.

scholarly journals The Annual Cannabis Holiday and Fatal Traffic Crashes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Harper ◽  
Adam Palayew
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Rate Ratio ◽  
Reporting System ◽  
Incidence Rate Ratio ◽  
The United States ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Impaired Driving ◽  
Fatal Crashes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Background: Cannabis use has been linked to impaired driving and fatal accidents. Prior evidence suggests the potential for population-wide effects of the annual cannabis celebration on April 20th ("4/20"), but evidence to date is limited.Methods: We used data from the Fatal Analysis Reporting System for the years 1975-2016 to estimate the impact of "4/20" on drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes occurring between 1620h and 2359h in the United States. We compared the effects of 4/20 to those for other major holidays, and evaluated whether the impact of "4/20" had changed in recent years. Results: Between 1992-2016 "4/20" was associated with an increase in the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes (Incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 1.12, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.28) relative to control days one week before and after, but not when compared with control days one and two weeks before and after (IRR 1.05, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.28) or all days of the year (IRR 0.98, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.10). Across all years we found little evidence to distinguish excess drivers involved in fatal crashes on 4/20 from routine daily variations. Conclusions: There is little evidence to suggest population-wide effects of the annual cannabis holiday on the number of drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes.

scholarly journals Investigation of the Relationship between Rainfall and Fatal Crashes in Texas, 1994–2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 7976
Author(s):  
Zhongyu Han ◽  
Hatim O. Sharif
Keyword(s):  
Relative Risk ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Speed Limit ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
National Highway Traffic Safety ◽  
Fatal Crash ◽  
Fatal Crashes ◽  
The Impact

Understanding how crash factors are impacted by rain is critical to road safety planning and management. This study assesses the impact of rain on traffic safety by conducting an analysis of the fatal crashes related to rain in Texas from 1994 to 2018. The fatal crash data was gathered from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Environmental variables used in the analysis include month of the year, time of the day, temperature, and weather condition. The roadway-related factors identified include the posted speed limit, the number of lanes, route sign, and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). The driver-related factors identified include age, gender, and the number of licensed drivers in total. Relative risk analysis was performed to statistically quantify the impact of rainy conditions at the hourly and monthly time scales. On average, rain-related fatal crashes represented about 6.8% of the total fatal crashes. However, the proportion shows higher variability at the annual, monthly, and hourly time scales and seems to be influenced by other factors such as the age and gender of the driver, type of the road, and posted roadway speed limit. Total and rain-related crashes show statistically significant decreasing trends when normalized by the total number of licensed drivers or vehicle miles travelled. The relative risk of a fatal crash during rainy conditions was always greater than 1.0 at hourly, monthly, and annual time scales. However, it shows significant variability at the monthly (1.07 to 2.78) and hourly scales (1.35 to 2.57). The relative risk is higher in less urbanized and drier counties, in general. Gender and age analysis reveals that male and young drivers are more likely to be involved in a fatal crash but less likely to be killed in the crash.

scholarly journals Advertising Media Impact in Consumer Buying Behavior

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 54-56
Author(s):  
Ashmita Dahal Chhetri
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Electronic Media ◽  
Buying Behavior ◽  
Media Impact ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Buying Behaviors ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Better Than

Advertisements have been used for many years to influence the buying behaviors of the consumers. Advertisements are helpful in creating the awareness and perception among the customers of a product. This particular research was conducted on the 100 young male and female who use different brands of product to check the influence of advertisement on their buying behavior while creating the awareness and building the perceptions. Correlation, regression and other statistical tools were used to identify the relationship between these variables. The results revealed that the relationship between media and consumer behavior is positive. The adve1tising impact on sales and there is positive and high degree relationship between advertising and consumer behavior. The impact on advertising of a product of electronic media is better than non-electronic media.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on stroke admissions in Qatar

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e000084
Author(s):  
Naveed Akhtar ◽  
Salman Al Jerdi ◽  
Ziyad Mahfoud ◽  
Yahia Imam ◽  
Saadat Kamran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Small Vessel Disease ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Relative Increase ◽  
Large Vessel ◽  
Tertiary Care Centre ◽  
Transient Ischaemic Attacks ◽  
Stroke Mimics ◽  
Coronary Syndromes ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic unexplained decline in hospital admissions due to acute coronary syndromes and stroke. Several theories have emerged aiming to explain this decline, mostly revolving around the fear of contracting the disease and thus avoiding hospital visits.AimsIn this study, we aim to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke admissions to a tertiary care centre in Qatar.MethodsThe Hamad General Hospital stroke database was interrogated for stroke admissions between September 2019 and May 2020. The number of stroke admissions, stroke subtypes and short-term outcomes was compared between the ‘pre-COVID-19’ period (September 2019 to February 2020) and the COVID-19 pandemic period (March to May 2020).ResultsWe observed a significant decline in monthly admissions in March (157), April (128) and May (135) compared with the pre-COVID-19 6-month average (229) (p=0.024). The reduction in admissions was most evident in functional stroke mimics. The average admissions decreased from 87 to 34 per month (p=0.0001). Although there were no significant differences in admissions due to ischaemic stroke (IS), intracranial haemorrhage or transient ischaemic attacks between the two periods, we noted a relative decrease in IS due to small vessel disease and an increase in those due to large vessel atherosclerosis in March to May 2020.ConclusionsThe decline in overall stroke admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic is most likely related to concerns of contracting the infection, evidenced mainly by a decline in admissions of stroke mimics. However, a relative increase in large vessel occlusions raises suspicion of pathophysiological effects of the virus, and requires further investigation.

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