Pubdate: Wed, 21 Dec 2005
Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact: http://209.115.237.105/kelowna/publish/include/letterToEditor.php
Website: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531
Author: Chuck Poulsen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving)

MORE DRIVERS FLYING HIGH

It's become the newest phrase in the vocabulary of traffic officers:
stoned driving.

Counter Attack roadblocks are stopping more drivers who are on drugs,
especially marijuana.

"There are definitely more drivers smoking up and driving on the
roadways," said RCMP Const. Rick Aselton. "That's not good. Their
judgment is impaired and their reflexes slower.

"It's like stepping into the '70s, when they are all rolling down the
windows trying to get the smell out."

If a driver is found impaired by marijuana, it's most likely to result
only in a 24-hour suspension. Aselton can't recall one criminal charge
locally of a person being impaired by THC -- the active ingredient in
marijuana.

The problem facing police is that unlike alcohol impairment -- which
is defined as being over .08 -- there is no impairment standard under
law for THC.

"If someone was really impaired, we could insist on a blood sample,
but there is no baseline to say what amount of THC is impaired," said
Aselton. "It's the same with meth or crack. If a person is high, we
can recognize the physical characteristics and go to court with that,
but there's no measurable baseline in the law."

The charge under the criminal code is the same whether it's drug-or
alcohol-impaired driving.

RCMP Staff Sgt. John Ward of the province's media relations section
said police have recognized that any number of substances can create
impairment.

"Normally, when people think of impaired driving, they think of
impaired by alcohol, but it's a problem whether it's prescription
drugs, crystal meth or pot," said Ward.

Under proposed legislation introduced last year, police would have
more powers to test for drugs, including saliva, urine and blood
tests. The bill died with the fall of the government and the election.

"Toxicology of the contents of the blood only support the factual
driving evidence that we get and also the normal testing that we would
do," said Ward.

"You've got to look at all those visible signs that would help you
determine if the person is impaired."

Kelowna RCMP are paying special attention this year to chronic
impaired drivers, setting up in front of pubs. Const. Heather
Macdonald said police are primarily concerned with taking keys away
from would-be drunk drivers, rather than trying to run them into jail.

Studies have shown marijuana affects tracking ability, meaning that
drivers who are under the influence have a harder time following their
lane. Pot reduces a driver's ability to perceive changes in the
relative speed of other vehicles and to adjust his/her own speed
accordingly.

Pot has been found to increase the reaction time needed to respond to
an emergency decision-making task, such as adapting to changes in the
speed of the vehicle ahead or to the vehicle's brake lights.

Research from Dalhousie University indicated that teens who smoke pot
and drive have the same crash rates as drinking drivers.

Aselton said he could only take a guess at why more drivers are using
marijuana.

"Who knows? Maybe the booze is getting too expensive and they can get
a cheaper buzz with marijuana," said Aselton.

He does find one noticeable difference between a driver impaired on
alcohol compared with one high on pot.

"The drunk driver is often aggressive," said Aselton. "The marijuana
drivers may be a little paranoid, but they're much easier to get along
with." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake