DRUGGED AND DRIVING

Turn Left Here And Pass The Doobie.

According to a recent study, 4.5 per cent of British Columbians
reported using pot before driving, and as many as 13 per cent have
been passengers in a car driven by someone who had used cannabis as
little as two hours before getting behind the wheel.

"A lot of kids think cannabis has different effects" than alcohol
when it comes to impairment, said Andrew Murie, CEO of the national
advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

"There is tons of research that indicates driving under the influence
of drugs, including marijuana, is extremely dangerous," said
Abbotsford police spokesman Casey Vinet.

"It's a relatively new field, but there are experts who have been
trained in identifying the physical symptoms drivers may display,"
such as red eyes, an elevated heart rate, enlarged pupils and lack of
co-ordination.

The test is called the 12-step Drug Recognition Expert evaluation,
and the expert's opinion in the field can lead to an impaired driving
by drug charge, said Vinet.

However, the test includes obtaining a bodily fluid sample, which the
B.C. Civil Liberties Association believes is an invasion of privacy.

And, while the BCCLA doesn't condone driving under the influence of
any drug, the test "isn't reliable enough to serve as assessment of
impairment" as far as the law is concerned, said BCCLA president
Jason Gratl yesterday.

"The assessment of impairment in any event is quite difficult, and
even mild alcohol consumption is difficult to distinguish from
fatigue. The matter of impairment is even more difficult when it
comes to pot," said Gratl.

"In relation to alcohol, there's a medically acceptable ratio of
alcohol to blood that can serve as a proxy for impairment - not so
with marijuana. There's currently no medical consensus on the amount
of THC is your blood before you're impaired."

RCMP'S 12-STEP DRUG RECOGNITION TEST:

- - Conduct a breath test to rule out alcohol impairment.

- - Interview the arresting officer to specify roadside symptoms.

- - Conduct a preliminary examination of the subject, including:

- - An eye exam to detect involuntary jerking;

- - A divided-attention test, like walking the line;

- - Take blood pressure, temperature and pulse;

- - Examine pupil size and reaction to light;

- - Check muscle tone;

- - Examine typical injection sites on the body;

- - Interview the subject;

- - Get a fluid sample.

- - Follow up by getting the opinion of a drug recognition expert.

Stoner's 12-Step Drug Recognition Test:

- - Note any billowing smoke escaping from the mouth.

- - Follow your nose.

- - Observe clothing, looking specifically for pot leaf images.

- - Look for drivers going under the speed limit.

- - Assess mood, noting laid back attitudes and big grins.

- - Follow the trail of snack wrappers.

- - Assess clarity of mind and ... what's that word? Oh, yeah - forgetfulness.

- - Check for a High Times magazine.

- - Note any uncontrollable giggling or laughing.

- - Look for a green wristband, a clear sign of support for legalizing pot.

- - Check under rim of subject's baseball cap for roaches.

- - Finally, "there is no easy way to identify a stoner because they're
everyone you know, from every walk of life." - Brandon Steele,
employee at the B.C. Marijuana Party.

- - 24 hours news service

THE STRAIGHT DOPE

- - On average, the number of kilograms of harvested cannabis seized
per grow operation tripled from 2.4 kilos in 1997 to 7.2 in 2003.

- - There were 25,014 police charges brought against cannabis
cultivation operations in B.C. between 1997 and 2003.

- - More than a third of reported cultivation incidents across Canada are in B.C.

- - Taxing cannabis could contribute $2 billion to provincial revenue.

- - CARBC analysis of the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey