BSSA, Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and Ohio FOP Oppose Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

COLUMBUS – If Ohio were to legalize recreational marijuana, Ohioans would suffer 48 more fatal vehicle crashes and 2,298 more injury crashes, based on projections using the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s crash statistics and research from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

The alarming statistics about the projected increase in deaths and injuries from marijuana-impaired drivers were released today by Ohio’s leading public safety organizations—the Buckeye State Sheriffs Association, the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police. The organizations have joined to oppose Issue 2, a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana that will be on Ohio’s November 7 statewide ballot.

“It’s not worth one single additional fatal crash—let alone 48 more—just so the people who use marijuana can get it more easily. We need to be doing everything we can to make our roads safer, not more dangerous, that’s why we urge people to get the facts about Issue 2. It’s a bad deal for Ohio and not worth the extra risk for all of us,” said Chief (ret.) Heinz von Eckartsberg, Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police.

“An additional 2,298 injury accidents bring with them significant additional pain, suffering, disruption and expense for Ohio families—all just from legalizing recreational marijuana. That is far, far too high of a price to pay and one of the most powerful examples of why this isn’t good for our state. It should be an easy ‘no’ for anyone taking half a second to consider the trade-offs,” said Union County Sheriff Jamie Patton, President, Buckeye State Sheriffs Association.

“Why would we ever go to the ballot and knowingly, willingly vote these new deaths and injuries upon ourselves, our families, our neighbors? It’s cruel and unthinkable. These statistics are real and this will happen, if not exactly these numbers then something like them. We know that from what other states have seen. Any Ohioan who doesn’t want that on their conscience needs to oppose Issue 2,” said Gary Wolske, President of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police.

Injuries and deaths from auto accidents have been found to go up in states on average after they legalize marijuana for recreational use, according to research by the insurance industry’s think tank, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Death rates go up 4.1% and injury rates go up 5.8% on average.

Using this research and Ohio’s 2022 crash statistics, the state’s 1,180 traffic crashes in which someone was killed are projected to go up to 1,229 for an increase of 48 more fatal crashes, and the 39,621 crashes in which someone was suspected of suffering a serious or minor injury are projected to go up to 41,919 for an increase of 2,298 more injury crashes.