UP IN SMOKE: Nearly half of drivers killed in crashes had THC in their blood.

New study findings show that over 40% of drivers who died in motor vehicle collisions tested positive for active delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their system, with average blood levels far exceeding those considered to cause impairment. The research highlights a significant and persistent public health risk that is unchanged by the legalization of recreational cannabis, the authors said.

The research will be presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025 in Chicago, October 4-7.

Flashback: How Weed Became the New Oxycontin: “Prior to legalization, marijuana plants were bred to produce higher and higher concentrations of THC, a naturally occurring chemical compound in the plant that induces euphoria and alters users’ perceptions of reality. In the 1960s, the stuff the hippies were smoking was less than 2% THC. By the ’90s, it was closer to 5%. By 2015, it was over 20%. ‘It’s a freak plant that resembles nothing of what has existed in nature,’ said Laura Stack, a public speaker who has advocated against the industry since her son, Johnny, killed himself three years ago at 19 years old after years of cannabis abuse drove him into psychosis.”