Pubdate: Fri, 07 Nov 2003
Source: Mississauga News (CN ON)
Copyright: The Mississauga News 2003
Contact:  http://www.mississauganews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/268
Author: Jan Dean

MORE ROAD BLOCKS FOR MADD CAMPAIGN

MADD Fears For Drivers Over Lax Marijuana Laws

Decriminalizing marijuana will only contribute to the carnage on our roads.

That was the resounding message made at the launch of the Mothers Against 
Drunk Driving (MADD) 2003 annual Red Ribbon campaign earlier this week. 
This year's theme is: "Tie one on for safety."

MADD has been lobbying to stop passage of federal Bill C38 that would make 
toking legal. Wednesday morning at the ribbon launch, MADD executive 
director Andrew Murie announced, "I'm 99 per cent convinced the bill won't 
come out of committee this week.

"We're not anti-cannabis, we want to get rid of impaired drivers," said 
Murie. "We told the parliamentary committee that passing this bill would 
give Prime Minister Jean Chretien a legacy of more dead teens on the road. 
Right now, in Ontario and Quebec, 15 per cent of teens surveyed say they 
drink and drive. Twenty per cent of them say they toke and drive. If this 
bill passed, those numbers would go through the roof."

Ontario's graduated license has zero tolerance for alcohol use among new 
drivers, and that's a great law, according to Murie. But, until we pass a 
law that gives police the power to test for drug impairment, says Murie, 
teens will continue to drive when stoned. Teens know they can use marijuana 
without endangering their licenses because the drug does not register on a 
breathalyzer.

Bruce Miller, Chief Administrative Officer for the 22,000-member Police 
Association of Ontario said, "I've seen obviously impaired drivers blow 
under the limit for alcohol because they're using drugs...so legally, 
they're not impaired. And police need the driver's permission to take a 
body sample to test for drugs at the hospital. In 22 years as a police 
officer, I never once saw a conviction for driving under the influence of 
drugs."

The more than 5,000 volunteers in 62 chapters of MADD Canada have led a 
battle to get drunk drivers off the road. The red ribbon campaign that 
continues throughout the holiday season commemorates the victims of drunk 
driving and reminds everyone to drive sober and safe.

Despite the difference education and police programs like RIDE (Reduce 
Impaired Driving Everywhere) have made over the years, four people are 
killed and 200 injured by drunk drivers every day in Canada. They are 
victims of crime. Drunk drivers are the leading cause of death for teens. 
In 1980, 60 per cent of deaths on the road were alcohol related. By 1999, 
that percentage had gone down to 33 per cent.

Murie said increased availability of alcohol and more marketing by the 
alcohol industry caused that percentage to increase in 2001 to 39 per cent 
across Canada.

But, according to Peel Police Traffic Services Staff Sgt. Craig Ellis, the 
numbers of fatal collisions involving alcohol in Peel have remained 
constant the past three years.

"In 1999 we had 34 fatal collisions and four of them were alcohol related. 
So far, in 2003, we have the same numbers," he said. "We're not proud that 
the number of fatal collisions involving alcohol hasn't decreased, but they 
have stayed about the same at a time when Peel population has increased and 
there are 180,000 more vehicles registered in the region."

Peel does not have statistics for collisions related to drugs.

"We are concerned there is no legislation or test in place to assist 
officers in investigation of people impaired by drugs," said Ellis. "I see 
decriminalization of marijuana as it relates to people driving. That could 
become quite problematic."

It is still illegal to use marijuana in Canada, but the move to 
decriminalize the drug has Mayor McCallion worried. McCallion has been a 
vocal and financial supporter of MADD for years. She told the 40 people at 
the launch, "MADD has done great work, but now you have to expand your 
program to deal with drugs. For someone in an accident now, police can test 
for alcohol but can't test for drugs and I believe a lot of the aggressive 
driving on our roads today is due to drugs."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart