Ottawa is taking action to crack down on drug-impaired driving in Ontario.
Federal Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Bill Blair recently announced the government will invest $17 million over five years to support frontline police officers in Ontario in the enforcement of drug-impaired driving. The funding will go toward training in standardized field sobriety testing (SFST), drug recognition expert (DRE) evaluation, drug screening devices, standardized data collection and reporting practices.
At the announcement, Ontario’s Solicitor General Sylvia Jones also confirmed the province will train 6,700 officers in SFST over three years, while another 660 officers will be certified as DREs.
Currently, there’s only one roadside drug screening device approved for use in Canada, the Dräger DrugTest 5000, which can detect THC, a psychoactive component of cannabis. Blair announced a second device will soon be approved and made available to law enforcement across the country.
This funding is part of the $81M announced by the federal government in September 2017 to support provinces and territories in building capacity to enforce drug-impaired driving laws.
At the announcement, Blair also introduced the next phase of Don’t Drive High, Canada’s public education and awareness campaign which counters some misconceptions about cannabis-impaired driving.
Substance use becomes problematic when drugs or alcohol start to have negative effects on one’s life and interfere with regular relationships, activities and well-being. Examples of negative effects include losing friends, getting fired or kicked out of school, or having trouble with the law.
Many Canadian Mental Health Association branches offer support to individuals worried about the negative impacts of substance use. For information, consultation, counselling and treatment planning, contact your local CMHA.