The B.C. branch of the Lifesaving Society has joined the chorus of voices raising concerns ahead of marijuana legalization this summer.
The non-profit organization, which focuses on reducing water deaths and injury as well as training B.C. lifeguards, says it’s worried easier access to weed could result in more danger in the water.
Program manager Cheryl Sibany says many people seem to think cannabis is harmless, but that anything that intoxicates people can create hazards on the water.
“People think pot is benign, and it’s not,” she said.
“Any kind of impairment, whether or not it slows your reaction time down, it slows your judgement down, where you don’t understand the risks that are happening around you, that is problematic.”
A 2017 report by the group breaking down drowning deaths in the province between 2005 and 2014 found about 75 water-related fatalities per year in B.C., the majority of them happening between May and August.
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WATCH: Concern legalized marijuana could lead to increased drownings
The report didn’t look at drug-impaired incidents, but did find that 39 per cent of drowning deaths involved alcohol consumption.
Sibany also raised concerns that easier access to pot could have an impact on B.C.’s lifeguards, suggesting that some staff may believe coming to work stoned is different than being under the influence of alcohol.
“It’s been a concern by employers in regard to their staff, and we’re approaching it in the same fashion that we would any kind of impairment,” she said.
“Common sense says that when you are a lifeguard, you need to be alert.”
Police are also reminding the public that marijuana and boating don’t mix.
Const. Janet Stringer with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Marine Unit said that operating a boat while impaired by any intoxicants can result in charges under the criminal code, just as when driving a car.
“So, whether it is drugs or alcohol, the charges (and penalties) are the same. We can use any tools available to us on the road while out on the water, to determine level of impairment,” she said in an email.
Fines for operating a vehicle while impaired start at $1,000 and can land a person behind bars for up to five years. In cases that involve accidents, injury or death the penalty can be life in prison.
Marijuana was originally set to be legalized on July 1, but legislation is now not expected to be in place until August or September.
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