ANY DRUG IMPAIRS DRIVING

RCMP say in the area driving under the influence of marijuana is
almost as prevalent as drunk driving

Powell River RCMP will be on the lookout for impaired drivers from now
until early in the New Year.

Constable Carl McIntosh said there will be more road checks and
targeted law enforcement as police check for impaired drivers.

"We'll be on the lookout for impaired drivers and there will be roving
road checks," he told The Peak. "Police won't just be sitting in one
place all the time."

Although drinking and driving don't mix, smoking pot and driving
doesn't either, said McIntosh.

"There seems to be a common misconception that it is okay to smoke pot
and drive when in fact it does impair people," he said. "The other
misconception is that marijuana has been legalized, and it has not."

He explained that marijuana is currently being decriminalized for
minor amounts of possession.

"It can still be against the law but instead of receiving a criminal
conviction which results in a criminal record, a person will be
subject to a penalty such as a fine."

McIntosh said smoking marijuana and then driving a motor vehicle is a
particular problem in the area. "In Powell River, it's at least as
prevalent as drinking and driving." He believes this is because of a
combination of issues--"ignorance of the law and a lack of
understanding of the impairment of the drug."

Regardless of whether marijuana becomes legalized or decriminalized in
any form, there is no indication anything is being planned that would
make it legal to drive or operate a motor vehicle while impaired by
marijuana.