cannabisnews.com: Police: New Laws Needed for Drivers Smoking Pot Police: New Laws Needed for Drivers Smoking Pot Posted by CN Staff on December 21, 2002 at 21:57:21 PT By CTV News Staff Source: CTV As Canada inches towards the decriminalization of marijuana possession, police fear drivers impaired by pot may become a growing danger on the country's roads. They say if relaxed laws result in more people lighting up behind the wheel, they may not have the tools to cope."We believe it is going to have an impact on the driving habits of Canadians, and there's a fear that we don't have the tools right now to detect amounts of THC in the blood, as we do with alcohol," said Mike Niebudek of the Canadian Police Association. There is currently no quick and easy method -- either in the station or roadside -- to detect THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Determining the level of impairment is also made difficult by the fact that, unlike alcohol, THC stays in the system for a long period of time.Alison Smiley of Vancouver, an expert on marijuana and driving, says studies have shown that pot does impair driving."People wander a little more in the lane, and they don't respond as rapidly to unexpected events," Smiley says. While stoned drivers do drive more cautiously than their drunk counterparts but they can still pose a danger on the road, Smiley says.Meanwhile, a retired Ontario lawyer charged with impaired driving intends to force the courts to rule on the murky issue.Rick Reimer, 47, was given a Health Canada exemption two years ago to use marijuana to ease the effects of multiple sclerosis. In early 2001, Reimer was pulled over by police near Pembroke, Ont., for allegedly weaving on a highway."I know without one scintilla of a doubt that there was nothing wrong with my driving that day, certainly nothing that had anything to do with marijuana and I'm prepared to fight that in every court in this land if I have to," says Reimer, who smokes between 10 and 12 joints a day.He says prosecutors only know how much he smoked that day because he gave them the information voluntarily -- something he was not obligated to do under the law.The court case adjourned last week and will continue in the new year.Source: CTV (Canada)Published: December 22, 2002Copyright: 2002 Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. Website: http://www.ctv.ca/Contact: newsonline ctv.ca Related Articles & Web Sites:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmDecriminalization of Cannabis Makes Sensehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14992.shtmlCanada Has It Right on Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14979.shtmlUnder The Maple Leaf: Pot Politics http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14973.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by charmed quark on December 22, 2002 at 14:08:46 PT Who cares what causes the impairment The whole problem with these "drugged driving" laws is the focus on one particular cause of impairment. If you are impaired by alchohol or drugs - bad. Anything else - OK. Impairment is impairment. An impaired driver is a risk on the road. If someone gets pulled over three times for impaired driving, I don't care if it was lack of sleep or pot - get him off the road and resolve why he is driving impaired so much. The cause of the impairment should only matter when seeking ways to prevent future impaired driving by this person. Maybe he needs to go to a sleep clinic, maybe to a drug rehab. Whatever.But because we are a puritanical society, we only care about "bad" impairment. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Patrick on December 22, 2002 at 09:16:41 PT Yeah right. While stoned drivers do drive more cautiously than their drunk counterparts but they can still pose a danger on the road, Smiley says. In addition, inattentive, cell phone using, and discourteous drivers pose an even greater danger on the road, daily commuter says. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 22, 2002 at 09:11:35 PT Articles from Snipped Source Here are articles that you might like to read. By posting the link it makes it easier for me then trying to snip them all.http://www.canada.com/search/results.aspx?keywords=marijuana [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 21, 2002 at 21:59:23 PT CTV Video Link http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1040497528971_80/?hub=TopStories [ Post Comment ] Post Comment