Pubdate: Wed, 15 Nov 2017
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2017 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Page: A12

LEGAL, BUT NOT IF YOU'RE AT THE WHEEL

The busywork of readying the country for legalized cannabis continues
apace, and Ottawa has gotten around to mapping out the murky territory
that is stoned driving.

Proposed legislative changes would create a two-tiered approach to
setting the maximum amount of THC, cannabis's main psychoactive
element, allowable in drivers' blood. Motorists measured with two to
five nanograms of THC per millilitre of blood within two hours of
being stopped would be subjected to a fine; those above would be
treated criminally, mirroring the way many provinces deal with alcohol
and driving.

The approach raises various problems, not least of which are the iffy
reliability of roadside testing for weed and a paucity of statistics
to accurately depict the scale of the problem.

Then there's the question of where to set the limit for medicinal
users, who by definition have a higher baseline THC level, long after
it's been metabolized.

Thus, a group of defence lawyers is urging Ottawa to put a hold on
changes to the Criminal Code, on the grounds that the current
proposals unfairly single out legal medical-marijuana consumers.

It's a thin argument.

Limiting how much cannabis one may consume before driving does not
stigmatize medicinal users any more than a 0.08 per cent blood-alcohol
content stigmatizes legal drinkers. Many medications carry warnings
against operating machinery or driving; if taking them results in
impairment, you can be arrested - and you should be.

When it comes to marijuana, the law may be moving faster than the
mechanism of enforcement, but focusing the debate on technicalities
obscures the broader goal. There is nothing wrong with erring on the
side of caution. A restrictive standard is preferable to an overly
lenient one.

While we're at it, Canada should consider dropping the bar for booze.
Drunk driving is a large-scale and well understood threat, and this
country has higher legal limits than many others.

As a society we should be extremely prudent about what condition one
is allowed to be in when getting behind the wheel. That means
aggressively fighting impaired driving on our roads, whatever the
source of the impairment.
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MAP posted-by: Matt