On October 10, 2018 Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, today said the Liberal Justice Minister’s claim that marijuana-impaired driving charges will have to be decided “on a case-by-case basis” is extremely troubling.
Marijuana is set to become legal in Canada on October 17. It’s clear that Justin Trudeau has rushed ahead to meet an arbitrary, politically-expedient deadline without a plan to keep Canadians safe on our roads.
His Justice Minister’s comments on the weekend confirm that there is no conclusive way to determine if someone is driving high.
The Drager saliva drug test, which the Liberals have approved, has faced skepticism. Several police forces, including those in Vancouver and Ottawa, refuse to use them.
Not only are there serious concerns over the Drager’s ability to function properly in cold weather, but even if impaired driving charges are laid, court challenges are likely to arise due to the lack of a reliable testing method.
“Justin Trudeau is ignoring scientists, doctors, and law enforcement officials, that have all said that legalization is being rushed through without proper planning or consideration for the negative consequences,” stated MP McLeod.
“The fact that the number of fatalities involving drugs alone is double those involving alcohol reflects the growing concern of driving after drug use. Stats Canada reported that one in seven cannabis users with a driver’s license drove at least once within two hours of smoking cannabis. They also found that cannabis is present in almost half of the drug-positive fatal crashes,” concluded MP McLeod.
Cathy McLeod, MP
