Pubdate: Tue, 15 Nov 2016
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.winnipegsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author: Joyanne Pursaga
Page: 3

TOO HIGH TO DRIVE?

National poll finds 65% of Manitobans fear spike in impaired driving
once pot becomes legal

If you're afraid drugged driving will become more common once
marijuana is legalized, you are certainly not alone.

CAA Manitoba reports found 65% of Manitobans surveyed in a national
poll believe there will be an increase in impaired driving once
recreational marijuana use is legal. Meanwhile, 24% say they've driven
while under the influence of marijuana or been the passenger of
someone who has.

And only 17% believed police have the right tools to identify
marijuana impairment in drivers.

Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen said he agrees legalization
poses road safety risks.

"There's questions around how do you test somebody who's under the
influence of marijuana because the active ingredients in marijuana
last for a long time, longer than alcohol in a person's system," said
Goertzen. "We have a number of concerns, one is obviously a safety
concern for those who are on our roads."

Goertzen said education is needed to ensure drivers are completely
aware of how the drug can affect the ability to drive and called on
the feds to ensure "that we have clear restrictions on age, on
toxicity and then on testing as well."

And there's no easy equation to determine how exactly a driver should
be tested for a "safe" limit on pot use when pulled over by police,
said Dr. Ginette Poulin, medical director of the Addictions Foundation
of Manitoba.

Poulin said a myth persists that high driving isn't dangerous, despite
growing evidence to the contrary.

"It's very important that people realize that not only does marijuana
affect part of our brain ... it affects our decision-making process,
our reaction times," said Poulin.

CAA notes the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse found marijuana
impairs cognitive and motor abilities needed for driving and doubles
the risk of becoming involved in a crash. Poulin said more research is
needed to determine how laws could limit THC intake for road safety,
which is complicated by the fact THC can remain in the body long after
its ingested.

CAA is lobbying the feds to run public education campaigns on the
affects of high driving, as that government has promised to announce
legislation that legalizes recreational marijuana use in spring 2017.

CAA's national poll of 2,012 Canadians has a margin of error of
+/-2.2%, 19 times out of 20.
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MAP posted-by: Matt