Pubdate: Fri, 11 Feb 2005
Source: Guardian, The (CN PI)
Copyright: 2005 The Guardian, Charlottetown Guardian Group Incorporated
Contact:  http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/174
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving)

DRUNK DRIVERS NOT THE ONLY ONES IMPAIRED

Police officials who are calling for more training to help police detect 
drug-impaired drivers make a compelling case. Police officers are running 
into more people driving under the influence of drugs and they need to be 
better equipped to deal with this trend.

The obvious answer is: give them the money they need to get the job done 
and consider it an ongoing investment in responsible law enforcement.

But will that happen?

It's fair to say that when most people hear the words 'impaired driving' 
they think booze. But according to Charlottetown Deputy Police Chief 
Richard Collins, there's a growing 'target group' of people who may be 
impaired by either prescription or non-prescription drugs, and that neither 
the law nor its enforcers are equipped to deal with this phenomenon. In 
fact, there are only about 24 police officers across Canada, including one 
in P.E.I., who have the specialized training required to charge a motorist 
suspected of being under the influence of drugs.

What makes this subject particularly relevant now is that the federal 
government is proposing changes that would decriminalize marijuana -- 
something police are concerned will lead to a the more "blatant, flagrant 
use" of that drug. And while the federal government is proposing 
legislation to the Criminal Code that would give new powers to police to 
crack down on drug-impaired drivers, Deputy Chief Collins says police won't 
be able to enforce the bill unless they're properly trained. RCMP 
Superintendent Russ Mirasty, who has one officer trained in drug 
recognition, is also calling for more training.

All this boils down to money, of course, and whether there's the political 
will to make this special training a priority. The upcoming provincial 
budget, due in a month or so, will no doubt reflect the province's ability 
or willingness to provide the capital city or the province's police 
agencies with the money they need to serve their respective jurisdictions. 
Already the RCMP claim they're understaffed as a result of a funding cut 
last year. With the province's financial problems looking worse than they 
did last year at this time, it doesn't look like there will be a lot of 
extra money flowing anywhere.

But should our police should stop arguing their case? Absolutely not. It 
simply means they'll have to be more vocal in making it.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom