cannabisnews.com: Too Many One Toke Over Line, Police Say





Too Many One Toke Over Line, Police Say
Posted by CN Staff on February 01, 2003 at 08:10:42 PT
By Colin Freeze, Crime Reporter
Source: Globe and Mail 
It's time Canada's traffic cops were equipped with some sort of potalyzer, police say. They believe the use of marijuana by drivers is dangerous and is increasing, but their efforts to tackle it are hampered because they have no roadside tools to determine how much drivers have smoked or to suggest how much it has impaired them."Young people are now more likely to toke and drive than they are to drink and drive," Deputy Chief Mike Boyd of the Toronto Police said yesterday. Today's marijuana is far more mind-altering than it was a generation ago, he added.
Given the changing trends, he said, it's time that police had better laws to crack down on drug-impaired drivers, and for scientists to develop better tools to spot them.Marijuana passes through the body quickly, but traces linger in a user's blood, urine, saliva, hair and sweat. Testing for it is difficult and invasive, and there is nothing equivalent to a breathalyzer to give an instant, credible guess as to how much is in a driver's system.Smoking and driving has been an issue since hippies in the sixties first suggested marijuana be used to beat booze-detecting breathalyzers. Though no conclusive data exists to suggest how many drivers smoke, or how much it impairs them, the issue is heating up as drug laws are softened.The federal government is seriously considering decriminalizing possession of the drug, and it already permits several hundred severely sick people to smoke it to alleviate symptoms. Cultivation remains illegal, but Canada already has a reputation as one of the world's top producers of highly potent pot.Nineteen police officers from B.C. to Halifax yesterday graduated from a pilot program that is meant to help them identify drug-addled drivers. Talking at Toronto Police headquarters, they said they are increasingly pulling over stoned drivers, yet are often powerless to stop them."The smell of marijuana is overpowering. But it's not enough. You have to have physical evidence," Toronto Constable Paul Bainard said.Even when arrests are made, convictions can be tough.A dope-smoking driver who was caught with a joint in his hand recently beat an impaired-driving charge in Eastern Ontario.Rick Reimer, a former lawyer and multiple-sclerosis sufferer, is one of fewer than 1,000 Canadians legally permitted to smoke pot.That privilege was not thought to extend to driving. But Mr. Reimer successfully argued that he can smoke marijuana and remain able to debate law, recite poems, write plays -- and drive a car.Between five and 12 per cent of all Canadian drivers may sometimes take the wheel under the influence of marijuana, according to senators who took a hard look at Canada's budding cannabis culture this past fall. Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)Author: Colin Freeze, Crime ReporterPublished: Saturday, February 1, 2003 – Print Edition, Page A9Copyright: 2003 The Globe and Mail CompanyContact: letters globeandmail.caWebsite: http://www.globeandmail.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmSmoking Motorist Not Guilty of Impaired Drivinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15146.shtmlPot No Impairment, Toker Tells Hearing http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15140.shtmlNew Laws Needed for Drivers Smoking Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15034.shtml 
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Comment #4 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on February 02, 2003 at 04:19:07 PT
LTE
Sirs,  Canadian police who cry about marijuana-impaired drivers are themselves blowing smoke. The Canadian Senate Committee 
examined the issue of driving under the influence for the report it delivered last fall. Their conclusion? "Cannabis alone, particularly in low doses, has little effect on the skills involved in automobile driving." Their main concern was people who both smoke cannabis and drink alcohol; when cannabis is involved, the committee reccomended lowering the blood alcohol limit to .04%. The Canadian police are simply trying to scare the public into continuing to wage their war against marijuana smokers. I'm very familiar with governmental efforts to scare the public about the cannabis plant - after all, I'm an American.
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Comment #3 posted by Tigress58 on February 01, 2003 at 18:44:32 PT
Swabs
Maybe a booger swap will give them roadside results; that's one way to get an MJ impaired driver to blow a .10.
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Comment #2 posted by JHarshaw on February 01, 2003 at 08:48:10 PT
Roadside Screening
Hi.
 
 Let's put aside the fact that in almost every study done so far drivers who toke are safer than any other group including those who choose not to indulge in the worlds favorite smoking herb. Any roadside test would need to distinguish the difference between residual traces of Cannabis, (that can be detected for days or even weeks after smoking a joint), and active cannabinoids from recent use. Also, there might be a problem with false positives in some people due to the natural anandamides produced by all mammals.Peace and Pot
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Comment #1 posted by Big Trees on February 01, 2003 at 08:21:07 PT
Where's the proof?
All I keep hearing is Believe... Believe. I believe that marijuana should be legal but it seems my government doesn't care. This is coming from cops who most likely have never had a toke in there lifes and have not idea if it hinders driving.
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