Auto Safety in the Age of Marijuana Legalization

The United States is seeing a new era of marijuana legalization. Currently, nine states have legalized marijuana , and in 2018, an additional twelve states are expected to consider following suit . Legalization of marijuana presents challenges in auto safety for Americans: in 2015, approximately 28% of car accident deaths were caused by distracted driving, and among drugs, marijuana was the most commonly found substance in the blood of drivers involved in car crashes caused by driving under the influence . This capstone attempts to grapple with this consequential matter by proposing a policy-driven solution to car accidents and fatalities caused by marijuana-impaired driving. It proposes the passing of a law by the U.S. Congress to put a federal limit on marijuana-impaired driving. Modeled after the Federal Uniform Drinking Act of July 1984, states that fail to adopt and implement the limit would be subject to partial revoking of federal highway funds. Upon consideration of science and enforcement capacities, however, it is recommended to vote against the proposal