The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) says they’re concerned about how the federal government’s forthcoming legislation to legalize marijuana will impact road safety.
Sixty-three per cent of Canadians are concerned that roads will become more dangers once marijuana is legal, according to a release from CAA.
READ MORE: Legal marijuana in Canada could slow border crossings, expert fears
CAA Atlantic Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Gary Howard says their research shows one in five Canadians admit to having driven high, or been in a passenger in a vehicle of someone who has.
Howard says those are only the people who admitted to it, speculating the real number is likely higher. He says the number of people who do drive high have some misconceptions.
“Twenty-six per cent of those respondents said if they’re under the influence of marijuana they can actually drive good or better than if they weren’t,” Howard said.
Howard says that belief is inaccurate, and Canadians need to be educated on the dangers of driving while impaired by drugs.
J-Division RCMP Media Relations Officer, Hans Ouellette says impaired driving by drugs or alcohol continues to be one of the leading causes of criminal death in Canada.
According to the RCMP’s annual report from 2015, Oullette says officers responded to 51 deaths on New Brunswick roads within RCMP jurisdiction. He says nearly 30 per cent of those victims were involved in crashes related to alcohol or drugs.
Current reporting processes don’t break the statistics separately for drugs and alcohol.
“If you’re impaired by either drugs or alcohol, simply don’t get behind the wheel,” Oullette said.
Greater Fredericton area MADD president Danielle Cole agrees that education is important prior to legalization.
“We don’t want to see horrific crashes occur and we don’t want people learning about it after tragedies have occurred,” Cole said.
She says the government needs to implement sanctions before they pass the legislation in the spring, and says they also need to find a measurable way to test drivers’ impairment level once it is legal and set a limit — similar to the current blood alcohol level testing for drunk drivers.
Cole says marijuana legalization has prompted MADD to start their own drugged driving education campaign — MADD Canada’s School Video Assembly Program — featuring a video teaching students the dangers of driving while high.
The video will be shown at more than 50 middle schools and high schools across New Brunswick.
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