CAA‑Quebec has issued a statement endorsing the recommendations made by a Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) study. The statement is calling for the federal government to improve regulation and penalties in relation to driving under the influence of psychoactive drugs as the government moves to legalize marijuana.
The recommendations of the TIRF study, entitled
Marijuana & Driving: Policy Implications, include continuing research into the impacts of marijuana consumption on driving. TIRF’s researchers believe that further measures are needed to keep roads safe, such as training police officers to recognize driver impairment due to drugs, and purchasing detection kits.
CAA’s statement also calls for amendments to provincial legislation and penalties for driving while under the influence of drugs. The organization said that these changes must be based on clear policy orientations from the federal government.
TIRF had prepared the survey for CAA, which then submitted the study to the federal Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation.
“A CAA survey has confirmed that 63% of Canadians fear that road safety is endangered,” commented CAA-Quebec vice-president of Communications and Public Affairs Sophie Gagnon on the study. “In addition, a survey conducted by CAA-Quebec this past spring showed that an even higher proportion of Quebecers — 73% — are worried about the safety impacts. The government must take note of these concerns.”
The study cited information from the American Automobile Association’s (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety. According to a study by the foundation, “the percentage of drivers involved in fatal crashes who recently used marijuana more than doubled from 8% to 17% between 2013 and 2014;” and “one in six drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2014 had recently used marijuana.”
“In CAA-Quebec’s opinion, the federal task force that is set to submit its report to the government in late November cannot ignore the concerns of Canadians, nor the results of the ‘test bed’ represented by the two US states that have legalized recreational marijuana, Washington and Colorado. We are hoping for specific recommendations in terms of traffic safety,” Gagnon concluded.
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