4 ms·

The chart shows that the uptick begins in 2014, roughly when the meth epidemic became a true epidemic, spreading to every part of the USA, so meth in particular

The chart shows that the uptick begins in 2014, roughly when the meth epidemic became a true epidemic, spreading to every part of the USA, so meth in particular, and drugs in general, are the most likely explanation. So these deaths fit in with the narrative of "rising deaths of despair." https://www.sciencenews.org/article/deaths-of-despair-depression-mental-health-covid-19-pandemic https://www.sciencenews.org/article/deaths-of-despair-depres...

jahnu 4y ago
http://tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations http://tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
onetimeusename 4y ago
That also correlated with the times that a number of states began to legalize marijuana for recreational use[1]. There are studies looking at this relationship and finding a correlation between road death increases and marijuana legalization. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._jurisdiction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._j... [2]" https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-07-19/where-pot-became-legal-car-crash-deaths-rose-study https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-07-19/...
- pasquinelli 4y ago
  i bet it correltes to a million different things.
- brookst 4y ago
  Interesting correlation, but is there anything else these states have in common that would also correlate?
rufus_foreman 4y ago
Do people only do meth in America?
dionidium 4y ago
> The chart shows that the uptick begins in 2014 If we're guessing about correlations I'd point to something else that happened in 2014 that's much more significant and directly related: the death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, after which police who were roundly criticized for pulling over too many people committed to performing drastically fewer traffic stops. The second visible spike follows the death of George Floyd, which resulted in a redoubling of that commitment [0]. [0] See my other comment in this thread for some numbers: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33769708 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33769708

jahnu 4y ago

http://tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations http://tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

onetimeusename 4y ago

That also correlated with the times that a number of states began to legalize marijuana for recreational use[1]. There are studies looking at this relationship and finding a correlation between road death increases and marijuana legalization. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._jurisdiction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._j... [2]" https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-07-19/where-pot-became-legal-car-crash-deaths-rose-study https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-07-19/...

pasquinelli 4y ago
i bet it correltes to a million different things.
brookst 4y ago
Interesting correlation, but is there anything else these states have in common that would also correlate?

rufus_foreman 4y ago

Do people only do meth in America?

dionidium 4y ago

> The chart shows that the uptick begins in 2014 If we're guessing about correlations I'd point to something else that happened in 2014 that's much more significant and directly related: the death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, after which police who were roundly criticized for pulling over too many people committed to performing drastically fewer traffic stops. The second visible spike follows the death of George Floyd, which resulted in a redoubling of that commitment [0]. [0] See my other comment in this thread for some numbers: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33769708 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33769708