REFUSAL TO TAKE DRUG-DRIVING TEST WILL COST A MINIMUM OF $600

Canadians who refuse to comply with a proposed roadside test to detect drug
use while driving would be fined a minimum of $600 under legislation
introduced yesterday.

The bill would put a law in place to allow police to test suspected
drug-impaired drivers, giving them the same authority that they now have to
nab people who drink and drive.

Right now, it is voluntary for people to submit to roadside testing for drugs.

The proposal was introduced just as the government's bill to decriminalize
possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana is in its final stages in
Parliament.

"There are people who feel that this is good companion legislation with
respect to the cannabis reform legislation that we already introduced,"
Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said.

While it is illegal to drive while under the influence of drugs, there has
been no reliable test for measuring drug impairment.

Police are expected to train officers across Canada to become experts in
recognizing physiological symptoms of drug impairment and then allow them
to conduct physical tests at the roadside.

If a suspect fails -- and it is determined he or she is not alcohol
impaired -- the testing could then move to a police station, where officers
could demand blood or urine samples.