POT, DRIVING NOT A GREAT MIX EITHER

We've been reminded for years not to drink and drive.

But how about smoking up and then getting behind the wheel?

"A number of the officers have indicated that there's higher use of
marijuana and therefore a lot of the 24 hour prohibitions were
marijuana related,'' said Const. Daffydd Hermann in reference to
CounterAttack road checks.

"People that are impaired by drugs is somewhat of a problem out there
compared to last year,'' Hermann said.

"Some [impaired drivers] were in pretty bad shape.''

As a result of road blocks put up last month, 34 one-day prohibitions
were handed out. Hermann did not have statistics on how many of those
prohibitions were for drugs, but they are up from last year. In 2000,
two of the 16 suspensions handed out were drug related, said Sgt.
Hank Gronberg.

Hermann did not know why there is an increase of marijuana impaired
drivers, but suggests the drug becoming more socially acceptable
could be a factor. Other charges stemming from CounterAttack are up
for the holiday season - because officers spent more time on the road
during Last month, 28,100 cars were checked, while almost 11,000 were
checked in December 2000.

The increased presence on the roads this Christmas can be attributed
to signing the contract with ICBC for CounterAttack funding later in
the year and using most of the discretionary days in December, said
Gronberg.

CounterAttack recorded six criminally impaired charges, compared to
three last year. Eighteen vehicles were impounded, up from last
year's total of three.

For other Criminal Code offences, nine charges were handed out. In
2000, only one person was charged. Many of these charges stem from
drug seizures.