Panel Paper:
Do Marijuana Stores Increase Local Car Crashes? Evidence from Oregon
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
Methods. Rates of car crashes will be regressed on the presence of registered marijuana dispensaries in Oregon, controlling for other factors such as Census demographics, the presence of liquor stores and other businesses, and miles traveled on state highways. Models will include 1) cross-sectional analysis for a single time period, controlling for spatial autocorrelation and 2) panel models with time fixed effects applied to 8 year-quarter time periods. To identify heterogeneous associations on crashes under different circumstances, models will be applied to outcome variables including injury crashes, fatal crashes, crashes on weekend nights, and crashed featuring drivers under 21. Currently data available allow for analysis from 2014 to 2015, but data on unregistered medical marijuana stores operating prior to 2014 will be collected manually in further months, allowing for analysis dating back years further. Crash data will be sourced from the Oregon Department of Transit’s Crash Analysis & Reporting Unit. Cannabis store data is recorded by the Oregon Medical Marijuana Dispensary Program.
Results. The study will report results of the various regressions discussed above.
Discussion. Findings will inform assessments of the risks of cannabis legalization, policies regarding detecting and sanctioning cannabis-impaired driving, and regulatory decisions about the appropriate number and placement of cannabis stores.