Pubdate: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Cpl. Diane Blain Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n1983.a01.html MARIJUANA IMPAIRMENT I'd like to provide further information regarding the article on "drug recognition." Police cannot demand blood if impaired driving by drugs alone is suspected. There must be a combination of drugs and alcohol, or if there has been an accident and a Datamaster is not possible. Bill C-16 has been introduced in Parliament to address this. Current science supports impairment by marijuana for between three and five hours, and not for 24 hours. This is conservative, but the only measure defensible in court. Some studies imply impairment may last for much longer, but that has not yet been validated. Urine testing doesn't show impairment, but indicates only if a person took marijuana within the last two to four weeks. Blood or saliva testing is required to determine more recent ingestion. Langley RCMP is pleased the article raised the profile of drug-impaired driving and opened a discussion about this serious issue. We're grateful for the chance to clarify information within the article. Cpl. Diane Blain Langley RCMP - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin