CHIEF HOATH BACKS NEW INITIATIVES TO SNUFF OUT DRIVING UNDER INFLUENCE OF POT

The ability to learn, remember and adapt quickly to change is
impaired by marijuana use, says a new report that also states the
more drivers are turning to the drug before they get behind the wheel.

Port Hope Police Chief Ron Hoath is in full support of a recent
appeal by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), calling for
measures to assess the level of drug impairment of questionable drivers.

"We've noticed with a lot of the cars we stop now, the officers are
met with a smell of burning cannabis," he said, noting that often
officers are pulling over drivers who are suspected to be under the
influence of marijuana, but unless there is good evidence, charges
cannot be laid.

"It's very limited what we could do with respect to drugs," he said.

According to a new CCSA study entitled Driving Under the Influence of
Cannabis, the prevalence of doped-up drivers in Canada has more than
doubled since 1989, and young males are the biggest culprits.

The survey indicates this group drives under the influence of
marijuana as often as, or more often, than they drive under the
influence of alcohol.

The 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey - the most comprehensive profile
of alcohol and other drug use in Canada since 1994 - shows males were
nearly four times more likely than females to drive under the
influence of cannabis, and nearly five per cent of survey respondents
reported driving within two hours of using the drug in the previous 12 months.

People who reported driving under the influence of cannabis also
reported consuming higher-than-average amounts of alcohol - a
significant point, since combining marijuana with even small amounts
of alcohol significantly increases the observed level of impairment,
notes Chief Hoath.

"The consequences are even greater," he said.

The CCSA wants to see greater use of the Drug Recognition Expert
(DRE) evaluation in Canada - a standardized procedure for determining
impairment by drugs or a drug and alcohol combination. The evaluation
consists of 12 steps involving the observation of visual clues and
vital signs, questioning and the provision of a bodily fluid sample
for analysis.

The evaluation, developed by the Los Angeles Police Department and
standardized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in
the U.S. in early 1980s, was introduced to Canada in 1995.

It has successfully been tested in courts in B.C. and in US courts up
to the Supreme Court level.

But while the CCSA believes this kind of evaluation just might be the
answer to Canada's drug impaired driving problem, Chief Hoath feels
something a little less taxing, like the alcohol breathalyzer test,
would be more fitting, particularly for a small police department
such as Port Hope's.

To become a Drug Recognition Expert, an officer must pass eight exams
and two practical tests. He or she must also complete at least 12
drug evaluations - detecting a minimum of four different classes of
drugs - and have these evaluations confirmed by toxicology results.

When it finally comes to the actual roadside evaluation, Chief Hoath
says, "It's a fairly arduous process."

Still, CCSA regards the DRE program as an essential component of a
comprehensive strategy that should include prevention and awareness
programs targeted at youth, adequate funding for DRE officer
training, and for continued research to make improvements to the DRE program.