DRUG-DRIVING A NO-NO

A member of the Conservative party in British Columbia has proposed a
bill that will help prevent drug-impaired driving on Canadian roads.
The bill enables police to test drivers for drugs which could have
been smoked, ingested or injected.

Police officers have been attempting to attain this ability for some
time now, however, the scientific tests required to do so have not
been available in Canada for roadside use. The only test currently
available in Canada which checks for drugs, in a person's body is a
blood test.

According to the Helena Russell, the president of Mothers Against
Drunk-Driving (MADD) Hamilton, "this impaired driving legislation
provides officers with the tools to detect impaired drivers."

The Prime Minister is striving to make driving while high as
unacceptable as driving drunk. This new legislation will not only
help to prevent drug IMPARIED driving related crimes, but it will also
help to raise awareness about the issue.

Controversy has arisen over the determination of whether or not
marijuana does in fact result in dangerous driving.

According the David Sweet, Member of Parliament for the Westdale area,
it is estimated that "one out of every eight automobile fatalities
involves drug-impaired drivers."

Also, a study prepared for Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation,
Transport Canada revealed that if a driver intakes a moderate to high
does of marijuana, it impairs several of the skills necessary for one
to have while driving.

A study conducted by the University of Toronto seeks to disprove the
notion that driving under the influence of marijuana is dangerous.

The study concluded that although marijuana and alcohol both impair
performance, those who drive after smoking pot drive slowly and
cautiously, whereas those who had consumed alcohol drove
erratically.

Michael Baldasaro, a mayoral candidate in Hamilton, and a known
advocate of marijuana, feels that "any amount of alcohol impairs a
person [but] I don't believe that marijuana impairs a person when
it comes to driving."

When asked his opinion of the proposed legislation, Baldasaro replied
that it was "completely stupid. How many people are dying every year
because of alcohol? That's the real problem, he added."

Drunk driving has always been a publicized driving concern, and
because of the dangerous repercussions and social stigma attached to
it, many laws have been penned in order to prevent it from occurring.

Drug impaired driving is a relatively new concern. There has not been
any major attempts to pass legislation about the problem as of yet,
other than the Liberal's failed attempt to do so.

Although this legislation's aim is mostly to prevent drug-driving
related crimes, parts of it also aim to improve and strengthen the
laws about drunk driving.

"The first responsibility for a government is the protection of its
citizens," says Sweet, "and so it is essential that we do this in
order to do the best that we can to get these people off the road," he
said.

The legislation will also help close loop holes that in the past have
allowed those convicted of drunk driving to avoid any real punishment.

For example, in many cases, a person who is convicted of drunk driving
will defend themselves by claiming they only had "a couple of drinks.
A toxicologist is then called to confirm that the accused Blood
Alcohol Content (BAC) would be below 0.08% if only two drinks were
consumed."

If this occurs, any scientific analysis of the accused's breath or
blood sample is rejected. This way, "they avoid conviction," says
Russell, "and police evidence (tests) are disregarded simply by
'paying' a toxicologist to come in and testify on their behalf."

On top of this legislation, there is also a private members bill
before the House of Commons seeking to make driving with a BAC between
0.05% and 0.08% a separate offence. According to Russell, MADD Canada
is in support of this bill and is currently working towards this
change as well.

Although the drug-driving legislation is still pending approval, it is
expected to improve road safety in Canada. It will be somewhat
difficult to instate at first, but as Russell says, the important
thing is "the end result, [which is] saved lives."