Pubdate: Mon, 11 Jul 2016
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.torontosun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Antonella Artuso
Page: 6

TEST TO NAB HIGH DRIVERS?

Roadside saliva collection needs to be in place: MADD

Canadians suspected of driving while high could be required to submit
to a roadside saliva test that identifies the use of marijuana,
cocaine and opioids.

An oral fluid test is one of the suggestions from a discussion paper
released on June 30 by the Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and
Regulation.

"We'll scream blue bloody murder if it's not in place before
legalization," MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie said.

"Because we already have a problem," he added. "It's well acknowledged
we have a problem with young people, so we really need this to be in
place before legalization."

While the task force is looking at the oral fluid test - a roadside
saliva swab - for the detection of marijuana use, the test can also
reveal the presence of other drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, opioids
and amphetamine.

"In contrast to alcohol, there is currently no roadside
breathalyzer-type test to detect impairment with marijuana," the task
force discussion paper says. "However, roadside oral fluid tests are
being used in other jurisdictions that can detect the presence of
marijuana in oral fluid, which can be suggestive of recent use. This
is an active area of Canadian and international research." A State
Farm Insurance survey of Canadian attitudes toward marijuana use and
driving raised some red flags in the spring.

One-quarter of people polled didn't believe or know that pot-impaired
driving can be as bad as drunk driving.

The majority of people polled thought the justice system was
unprepared to deal with the fallout of legalizing marijuana.

"Right now, the police only have a limited behavioural test they use,"
Murie said. "There's very few officers trained to do this. And
basically the public knows that and they feel fairly confident that
they can - especially young people - smoke pot and drive.

"They also perceive that they're safer driving under the influence of
marijuana than alcohol."

While it's true that the impairment is different than that in
booze-fuelled motoring - which tends to encourage speeding - it's no
less dangerous, he said.

A driver who's high tends to drive far too slowly and make very wide
motions, including turns, Murie said.

"They think they're normal but it's very exaggerated," he said.
"Alcohol gives you that Superman-type of mentality, with drugs they're
very cautious. But you know what, they crash all the time."

Coroners investigating traffic fatalities find dead drivers are more
likely to have drugs in their system than alcohol - a "scary" 40%
more, Murie said.

Yet only about 2.6% of all criminal impaired charges laid across the
country last year were for drugs - proof that reforms are required, he
insisted.

The Criminal Code needs to be changed to permit an oral fluid test on
a driver suspected of drug impairment, and the government must also
establish legal limits for drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, he
said.

Other jurisdictions that have gone down this road have set legal
limits for certain drugs, such as opioids, similar to those in place
for alcohol.

"The levels that would be set for opioids would be above the highest
level a doctor would prescribe," Murie said.

"The same with medical marijuana."

Bob Nichols, a spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation,
said police now use a Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST) at roadside
to nab drivers who are high.

"If a driver fails the SFST, the officer can arrange for a more
complete testing protocol called Drug Recognition Expert Evaluation.
As part of this procedure, a sample of urine or blood is tested for
presence and concentrations of various drugs," he said. Beginning on
Oct. 2, police in Ontario will be able to issue escalating roadside
driving suspensions of three, seven or 30 days if the officer has a
"reasonable belief" that the driver is impaired by drugs.
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MAP posted-by: Matt