Many police departments across Canada report no spike in stoned drivers since legalization, but that doesn’t necessarily mean less cannabis impaired motorists.
Departments continue to be wary of using the only government approved cannabis roadside test, the Drager DrugTest 5000, over concern about how its results will hold up in court.
Without a designated machine for roadside testing, field sobriety testing and drug recognition continue to be the best tools for officers to spot stoned drivers.
The federal government has announced $10.1 million over five years to help B.C. police increase the number of provincial officers trained in drug recognition.
“Those who believe they aren’t impaired after consuming cannabis are dangerously misinformed and they will be caught,” said Bill Blair, minister for border security and organized crime reduction.
The manufacturers of the Drager DrugTest 5000 have defended the test, saying it was never designed to test for impairment, but to simply identify the presence of THC.
