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.