‘Very large increase’ in weed-related traffic injuries since legalization: study
Global News
Over a span of 11 years, annual rates of Ontario emergency department visits for cannabis-related traffic injuries have surged 475 per cent, according to a recent study.
Over a span of 11 years, annual rates of Ontario emergency department visits for cannabis-related traffic injuries surged dramatically, according to a recent study from The Ottawa Hospital.
The study, published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, looked at cannabis involvement in emergency room visits for traffic injuries between 2010 and 2021 in Ontario. It also examined shifts in cannabis consumption and driving habits following federal legalization in 2018.
“Our data is raising concern about a growing problem of cannabis impairment and severe road injuries,” said lead author, Dr. Daniel Myran, who is also a fellow at the Bruyère Research Institute and with the University of Ottawa’s Department of Family Medicine.
“Since 2010 there has been a very, very large increase in cannabis involvement and traffic injury visits in Ontario.”
The study also found sharper spikes of marijuana involvement in traffic-injury emergency visits following legalization, he added.
On Oct. 17, 2018, marijuana was legalized in Canada. A 2020 Statistics Canada report found that the legalization of cannabis was associated with an increase in overall consumption, especially among people aged 25 and older. And with legalization came amendments to impaired driving laws in the country, adding limits on blood tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels.
This is because cannabis can impair the cognitive and motor abilities necessary to operate a vehicle and doubles the risk of crash involvement, according to the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.
With the rise in cannabis use over the years, Myran and his research team wanted to find out if there were shifts in cannabis-impaired driving.
B.C. health authorities have announced the first case of a human avian flu infection acquired in Canada, with the teenage patient in critical condition in hospital.
People have been hearing a lot about H5N1 bird flu — or highly pathogenic avian influenza — since a B.C. teen became the first human to get the virus in Canada and is in hospital.
The Liberal government and the NDP negotiated the substance of a pharmacare bill as part of their now-defunct supply-and-confidence agreement.
Kennedy ran as an independent presidential candidate but gave Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the next Trump administration.
Emergency services are at the scene of a train derailment Thursday morning on Montreal's south shore, where they are urging citizens to stay away from the area.
"I was yelling at them saying get the F** away it’s a wild animal," resident Josh Merrin told Global News. "Sorry about my language."
H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows, with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers.
The Calgary Zoo announced that one of its lowland gorillas unexpectedly passed away on November 12, 2024.
Edmontonians have had mixed feelings and now the city is asking people to share their thoughts officially. The findings of a survey could bring some changes.
Dr. Anna Wolak, a family physician in Vancouver, said many parents are likely having flashbacks to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite this flu being a single case.
WHO acknowledged that testing for mpox is still not widespread, making it difficult to understand how exactly the virus is spreading.