Pubdate: Fri, 22 Aug 2014
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Blair Qualey
Note: Blair Qualey is President and CEO of the
New Car Dealers Association of BC. You can email him at POT AND DRIVING JUST A REALLY BAD IDEA

They Exist For Alcohol And A B.C. Company Is Developing A Cannabis
Breathalyzer

Marijuana is a hot topic in British Columbia and across North America
these days, especially since the Canadian government recently changed
the rules on who can produce and distribute the controversial plant
and some U.S. states have decriminalized it.

Whether or not you're a pot user, or agree with the rules around how
it's bought and sold, there are implications for pot use on driving
activity. Marijuana use can affect driving ability. Using it can
impair your judgment, co-ordination and concentration behind the
wheel, and slow your reaction time. That can lead to accidents, which
are a threat to everyone on the road.

The affects of marijuana are important to note for all users,
including those who take it to treat major illnesses. Pot users should
heed the same warnings that come with the purchase of a number
prescription and over-the-counter medications, which includes not
operating heavy machinery, which for most means motorized vehicles.

While studies have shown that driving drunk is more dangerous than
driving stoned, any type of impaired driving is dangerous. I hope and
expect that most people would agree that if you drive drunk or stoned
that you have a greater risk of being injured, or injuring someone
else.

Unfortunately, police don't have the same technology and resources to
detect people driving stoned, as they do now for those driving drunk.
However, the times appear to be changing as marijuana becomes more
accepted in society.

For instance, I wasn't surprised to hear recently that a B.C.
technology company, called Cannabix Breathalyzer, is developing what
it believes will be the first commercial pot breathalyzer.

The hand-held device, developed by a former RCMP officer, promises to
be able detect whether a driver has used marijuana within two to three
hours of getting behind the wheel. This is key since it's that time
frame when pot has its strongest affect on a user, according to the
Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA).

The CPHA says a driver who is high reacts slower to sudden events,
such as a car slamming on the brakes in front of them, and can have a
reduced or "drifting" attention span, which means they're not
concentrating enough on driving.

Pot use can also cause a driver to focus too much on one thing, such
as the tail lights in front of them, and not enough on the cyclist
beside them. The drug can also change a driver's sense of time and
distance "making it harder to judge distances while driving," the CPHA
notes.

Whether you're against marijuana use, or a strong proponent, I think
both camps can agree that getting high and then slipping behind the
wheel is a bad idea.

We all want to feel safe driving along our province's roads and
highways. Be smart and stay safe.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D