The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is reminding the public that cannabis consumption prior to getting behind the wheel can impair motor and cognitive functions and may double the risk of getting into a crash. The reminder comes on the heels of Canberra’s motion to legalize adult-use cannabis.

The warning resembled those issued by various police commissioners as well as Australian Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.

“Surgeons around Australia witness the carnage from road crashes daily. The ‘silent epidemic’, with 39,000 Australians hospitalised with injury from road crash each year, is not slowing. ACT’s bill legalising recreational cannabis use risks worsening this trend,” RACS trauma chair Dr. John Crozier said in a press release.

Dr. Crozier says that Canberra’s move to legalize cannabis will impede road safety measures implemented by the government.

“The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS)’s Highway Loss Data Institution found significant increases in crash incidents in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon following legalising recreational cannabis. There were also increases in the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for cannabis.

“RACS has a long history of road safety advocacy and is strongly committed to reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads. The College recently backed calls by the Australian Automobile Association for a new federal approach to road safety, and we will continue to advocate strongly in this area,” said Dr. Crozier.

Similar concerns were raised pre-legalization in Canada, where the drug has been federally legal for nearly a year. Despite some authorities’ skepticism, data suggests that there has not been a spike in impaired driving charges since legalization came into force last October.