DRIVING HIGH DANGEROUS FOR OTHERS

The Conservative government is on a roll with passing new legislation
and now they want to set new rules for people suspected of driving
under the influence of marijuana. I don't usually agree with them, if
ever, but in this case they have a point.

People can barely drive when they're sober and on a full night's
sleep, so anything that may impair someone and cause them to be a
danger to others needs to be controlled. As cliche as this is, a car
is a loaded weapon and it only takes a split second to lose your
concentration and kill someone.

However, if the police are being given the authority to first look at
someone and pass judgment on whether they may be high or not, and
second to haul them into the station and run blood tests, there must
be very clear restrictions set.

Extensive research needs to be conducted to determine what the
effects of marijuana are on different people based on body type and
amount of use. Once this is done, a limit needs to be decided on
similar to that of alcohol. That way the police can determine, by
scientific evidence, that if people fall below that number they
should have all the necessary cognitive functions to operate a car.
They also cannot arrest someone who smoked a joint two weeks ago but
still have some residue left. We all remember Olympic gold-medalist
Ross Rebagliati; the last thing we need is the police and courts
wrapped up in cases like that.

Another issue is how to actually find people who are driving under
the influence.

The easiest way would probably be to start adding on marijuana checks
during the drinking and driving counter attack. Regardless, if they
are serious about safety concerns and actually enforcing it, it must
be a joint effort between police and government and not simply a
political party pandering to their constituents.

Some are concerned passing legislation like this is unfair to marijuana users.

They argue people drive every day while on their cell phones,
flipping through radio stations or with passengers talking to them.
True, these things are all dangers on the road, however smoking
marijuana is a choice people make knowing that it will impair them
for hours, and to drive while high is irresponsible. Flipping through
radio stations with your eyes on the road is not the same as losing
your the ability to react to a potential situation quickly.

Marijuana use, even extensive use, may not have the same impact on
someone as alcohol, but it does still impact your body. The reality
is perception, co-ordination and concentration are all affected by
use, and those skills are very important to driving safely.

If there is an easy, thorough way to test for drugs, it should be
implemented. Public safety is the most important thing and some
people may have to take a minor inconvenience to protect others.