DRUGGED DRIVING CHARGES LAID IN CORNER BROOK

A 32-year-old man is facing one of the province's first drugged
driving charges.

Officers in Corner Brook arrested the man in the Main Street area of
the west coast city overnight.

The man was allegedly driving under the influence of a
drug.

Officers released the man on a police undertaking to appear in court
at a later date.

Drugged driving charges are relatively new in Canada, with officers
given the authority to run certain roadside tests, which drivers
could legally refuse in the past.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has trained a large number of its
officers to carry out the sobriety tests in St. John's, Corner Brook
and Labrador west.

A smaller number of officers have undergone intensive training, to do
a follow up blood, saliva or urine test, should the driver fail or
refuse the initial test.

Under the old law, police were obliged to tell drivers suspected of
being high that roadside tests weren't mandatory.

But as of this summer, refusing the test will be considered a
criminal offence.

Drivers convicted of drug-impaired driving now face a minimum $1,000
fine for a first offence and a month in jail for a second conviction.