Pubdate: Fri, 29 Apr 2016
Source: Sault Star, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 The Sault Star
Contact: http://www.saultstar.com/letters
Website: http://www.saultstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1071
Author: Mike Verdone
Page: A1

PROPER TOOLS NEEDED TO NAB 'DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVERS'

With the commitment by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal 
government to legalize marijuana use in Canada comes a host of 
questions about regulating and restricting the drug, as well as a 
number of moral concerns.

However, local police are not focused on discussions surrounding the 
legalization of pot in the country, which the Liberals promised to do 
during the election campaign last fall.

The job of police is to enforce federal laws.

But the worry in several circles is about safety because many people 
believe legalizing pot could lead to more marijuana-impaired drivers 
on the road.

"That's our biggest concern right there," said Sault Ste. Marie City 
Police Deputy Chief Sean Sparling.

"It's not so much a policy perspective from the federal government. 
We enforce or not enforce whatever laws they choose to enact or 
cancel . What we're hoping for and what we expect from government is 
to get the proper tools so that we can keep our roads safe."

Sparling said police do not currently have the proper tools to deal 
with "drug impaired drivers."

City police has a drug recognition program that includes two 
highly-trained Drug Recognition Experts, but the program falls short 
of what is needed if marijuana is legalized, Sparling noted.

"For example, there's no means right now like a roadside test, the 
same as we do with impaireds. We don't have that available to us for drugs."

When Ottawa does change the law, Sparling said, it'll need to address 
the issue of roadside tests. "Or it's going to cause some issues ... 
If they're going to do this, we're going to need the tools first."

That's exactly what government officials have been working toward, 
the chief executive officer of MADD Canada says.

MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) has already had a series of 
meetings with government representatives to discuss the legalization 
of marijuana, Andrew Murie said during a telephone interview Thursday.

The Trudeau government is expected to legalize the recreational use 
of marijuana next year. And Murie is optimistic about the steps 
Ottawa is taking when it comes to road safety as it moves closer to 
changing the criminal code to green-light pot smoking.

"We like what we're hearing. They're going to approve oral fluids. So 
saliva testing at roadside ... That's the technology the police 
need," Murie said.

There is already a problem in the country with people driving 
motorized vehicles while under the influence of drugs, he said.

Drugs are present more often than alcohol in people killed in motor 
vehicle accidents, 25% more often, according to the most recent 
national data, Murie said.

"And the most popular drug found was marijuana," he said.

Drug deaths in motorized vehicles were double alcohol deaths in 
Ontario, Murie added.

And again, the leading drug was marijuana, he said.

"So we already have a huge problem on the road, never mind 
legalization" of pot.

"Our thinking is we have a problem now. The police don't have any 
tools now to apprehend the drug-impaired driver, and they don't fear 
the police, so their likelihood of getting caught is pretty small," 
said the CEO.

Murie has been assured police will have new tools, such as the 
roadside saliva tester, to combat drug-impaired drivers.

"We've been promised by the folks in Ottawa that before any 
legalization, these things will be in place beforehand."

The new apparatus takes a small sample of saliva, which is swabbed 
from a driver's tongue, that is tested on the spot to determine if 
the individual is on, or under the influence of drugs.

The roadside saliva reader also reveals the drug a driver is 
influence by and to what level, Murie said.

If a person tests positive for a drug and the level exceeds an 
acceptable limit, a second test could be conducted that may be used 
in court, and the driver could be charged with a criminal offence.

Although RCMP have done extensive testing with the saliva machines, 
local police know little about the apparatus, Murie said.

"The problem is that kind of communication doesn't get down to the 
front-line officer. I'm not even sure if it gets to the municipal 
police chiefs. I find that a lot of times that the police are the 
least knowledgeable on all this kind of change that's coming. Now, 
closer to the time, they'll bring them up to speed, they'll do all 
the training, etcetera, like that. It's all got to be introduced in 
Parliament first."

Observers suggest before marijuana is legalized in Canada a detailed 
policy framework must be in place to regulate the drug. Laws 
outlining when, where and by whom the drug can be used are expected.

It must also be decided to what extent a person - including a driver 
- - can use marijuana.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom