FEDS TO TAKE ON DRUGGED DRIVERS

Don't do drugs and get behind the wheel. It's a message the federal
government is hoping to drive home as it prepares new legislation to
tackle the problem.

"The objective of the proposed legislation is to avoid reckless
deaths and injuries of innocent people.

Therefore, we needed to target drug-impaired driving and take any and
all actions required to prevent future drug-impaired incidents," says
Wild Rose Member of Parliament Thompson.

"The goal of this legislation is to make drug-impaired driving as
socially unacceptable as drunk driving has become amongst adults and
teens alike," he said.

The new legislation was announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper
while speaking at the 19th Annual Project Red Ribbon Campaign launch,
sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

The proposed legislation is designed to:

* Provide police with more tools to detect drug-impaired drivers;

* Increase penalties for drugimpaired driving;

* Strengthen presumptions of breath and blood tests; and

* Promote awareness about drug-impaired driving with partners like MADD.

"We are going to provide police and prosecutors with more tools, so
that drug-impaired drivers can be more easily detected and
convicted," said Thompson.

MADD has been tackling the issue for several years through its 'If
you're high, you can't drive' - awareness campaign.

According to the organization:

* In British Columbia, autopsies on 227 fatally injured drivers found
31 per cent positive for only alcohol, nine per cent positive for
drugs and 11 per cent positive for both.

* In Ontario, 1996 and 1997 surveys found people reporting driving
within an hour of cannabis use in the past 12 months was 1.9 per cent
among the entire population; however, 9.3 per cent among 18-19 year
olds. Among cannabis users, the percentage reported driving within an
hour of cannabis use was 22.8 per cent (13.4 per cent female and 28.2
per cent male).

* In Quebec, a study of fatally injured drivers (April 1999 to
November 2001) indicated 22.6 per cent were positive for only
alcohol, 17.8 per cent were positive for only drugs, and 12.4 per
cent were positive for both.