Pubdate: Tue, 27 Oct 2009
Source: Mountain View Gazette  (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 Mountain View Publishing
Contact:  http://www.mountainviewgazette.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4234
Author: Mark Laycock

DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVERS RISK LOSING LICENCE

Drivers who choose to get high and then get behind the wheel may want 
to think twice thanks to new provincial legislation.

Since Oct. 15, anyone suspected of drug-impaired driving could be 
without a set of wheels, as law enforcement members now have the 
power to suspend a person's driver's licence if police suspect the 
driver is under the influence of drugs.

The expansion to the Alberta Administrative Licence Suspension 
program to include drug-impaired drivers stems from an amendment made 
on July 2, 2008, to allow the law to be applied equally to drivers 
charged with alcohol and drug-driving offences. Prior to this change, 
drivers suspected of drug-impaired driving were not required to 
undergo testing.

Didsbury RCMP Sgt. Jeff Jacobson says that any amendment that makes 
it easier for police to get dangerous drivers off the road is always 
a good thing.

"It certainly enhances our ability to remove people who are a danger 
to the public on the roadway," says Jacobson. "Any increase in powers 
that we get that improves road safety is definitely a benefit to us."

Under the new legislation, drug-impaired drivers could face the same 
immediate licence suspension penalties as alcohol-impaired drivers, 
ranging from a three-month to six-month suspension.

In order to determine if drivers are drug impaired, each police 
detachment will have drug recognition experts who can be called out 
to administer an exam on scene.

"Ultimately the members that are trained as experts are the ones who 
will quite often make the determination that this person is impaired 
by a drug, which provides the evidence to support the charge," says Jacobson.

If a driver is suspected of being drug impaired, they will be taken 
to a nearby hospital to undergo a blood test. Should the suspect 
refuse a sample, they will be charged with refusal to provide a 
sample. All suspects are given the opportunity to contact council 
before being asked to provide a sample.

Jacobson says that it's not often that officers come across drivers 
who are only drug-impaired, noting that more often drivers are found 
to be drug- and alcohol-impaired
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