Pubdate: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 Source: Chronicle Herald (CN NS) Copyright: 2014 The Halifax Herald Limited Contact: http://www.herald.ns.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180 Author: Selena Ross Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving) CASTING THE NET FOR DRUGGIES WHO DRIVE Some part of Doug McKenna's internal clock was restarted in November 2011 when he learned of his son's death. More than 19 months had gone by, he said, when he arrived at Antigonish court to hear the verdict for the man responsible. Two other drivers had called the RCMP that November night to report a Crown Victoria crossing the centre line on Highway 4, near Tracadie, and forcing oncoming traffic onto the shoulder, according to court testimony. The car had also been slowing down and speeding up erratically. Before police could respond, the white Crown Victoria crossed the line again near a turn and crashed into the Mustang carrying McKenna's 17-year-old son, Nico Landry, and his friend, Kory Mattie, 16. Police later found that William Fogarty, 30 at the time, was high on Valium, prescribed methadone and another drug. Hearing Fogarty convicted couldn't bring back Nico, said the boy's father, but it did maintain his faith in the justice system. However, just 10 years ago Nova Scotia police likely wouldn't have been able to bring Fogarty to trial. Now they want the public to know how good they have gotten at investigating drug-impaired drivers. They want bystanders to get in the habit of reporting drivers who seem to be high, the way people commonly do for drunk drivers. It's an important step, because drug-using drivers often don't see their own risk-taking as serious, said Cole Harbour RCMP Const. Peter MacIntyre, who specializes in detecting drug impairment. "There was one I did, just last week, and he knew about (the law), but he thought it was OK because he was an experienced user," said MacIntyre. Like alcohol, however, drugs can grossly impair drivers' senses. Local police are especially worried by all the cases they see of young people who experiment with different drugs, unprepared for the effects, and then get behind the wheel, said MacIntyre. Nova Scotia police have laid 43 drug-impaired driving charges already this year, and 65 last year. Most often, the cases involve rear-ending and sideswiping, said MacIntyre. With 60 specially trained officers now across the province, including 20 in metro Halifax, there are specialists working every night, said Const. Mark Skinner, who co-ordinates the training program. Each specialist has been through nearly a month's worth of training in the southern United States to learn how to put drivers through 12 tests for drug use, said Skinner. The testing is much more comprehensive than a simple breathalyzer, and in court it can be used to prove drug impairment even if the driver doesn't submit to a blood or urine sample. Since the passage of drug-impaired driving laws in 2008, Nova Scotia police can also legally compel someone to provide the samples, charging them if they refuse. The 12 tests include measuring pupils in light and darkness, gauging physical co-ordination, and taking blood pressure, pulse and body temperature, MacIntyre demonstrated in a mock test Friday. Different drugs create different combinations of symptoms, so specialized officers are trained to spot all drug classes. While drunk people can't hide a strong smell of alcohol, seriously drug-impaired people also can't hide certain physiological effects. In one test, they are asked to close their eyes and then indicate when they believe 30 seconds have passed. Their perception of time is often far off the mark, said MacIntyre. In another test, they are asked to repeatedly touch their nose with their eyes closed and return their arms to an original position. Many drug-impaired people can't focus on the instructions, divide their attention adequately between tasks or co-ordinate their fingers with their noses, MacIntyre said. Prescription medication doesn't usually pose a problem "if you're taking the correct dose, the correct way, the correct time," said Skinner. Unlike for alcohol, there's no standardized level of drug impairment that is considered legal, although plans are underway in Canada to establish a legal limit for THC, the chemical in marijuana. In Australia, police do roadside oral swabs to test for the chemical. "It's something that I'm sure we would welcome in Canada, but the reliability isn't there yet," said Skinner. He wants Nova Scotians to watch for obvious signs of impaired driving - - swerving, striking curbs, running through stop signs - but also to pay attention to the smell of marijuana coming from car windows, and to alert police if a friend or an acquaintance insists on getting behind the wheel while high. In Nico Landry's case, Fogarty was a former intravenous drug addict, and Mounties testified that he spoke at the scene of the crash about his drug use. Now appealing his conviction, he was sentenced to six years in prison and is also banned from driving for 10 years. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom