Some forces question marijuana roadside test

Some Canadian police forces are hesitant to use a federally approved roadside test for marijuana impairment, raising questions about the Liberal government’s decision to give the devices the green light.

Vancouver’s police department is among those that won’t use the Drager DrugTest 5000 when pot is legalized next month because it says the device doesn’t work in sub-zero temperatures, is bulky and takes too long to produce a sample.

“Our experts within the VPD have looked at it and we’re just not comfortable moving forward with this machine and we’re looking at other options,” said Sgt. Jason Robillard.

The department plans to purchase one of the devices to test its capabilities, but for now officers will rely on standard field sobriety tests and drug recognition experts, he said.

Police in Delta, B.C., say their officers won’t use the device this year but the department hasn’t made a decision about 2019, while Edmonton police and B.C.’s provincial RCMP say no decisions have been made yet. National RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Marie Damian said the force will have a strategic, limited rollout of the device in consultation with provincial and municipal partners.

Standardized field sobriety test and drug recognition experts will continue to be the primary enforcement tools, she said in a statement.

“Roadside drug screening equipment will provide an additional tool to help Canadian police officers detect and investigate drug-impaired drivers,” she said.

RCMP national headquarters has ordered 20 of the units to facilitate the training of its officers, she said. The training will be classroombased and will be available to police “on or prior to” Oct. 17, when marijuana will be legal.

Rob Clark, managing director of Drager Canada, said misinformation has been spreading about the devices and it’s important to remember that police forces do take time to adopt new technologies.

“I think there’s an unrealistic expectation in terms of how long it takes for the police to prepare themselves to roll something like this out,” he said.

Clark also disputed the criticisms of the device. It operates best between temperatures of 4 C and 40 C. But the main part of the machine — which does the reading and analysis — remains in the police vehicle where it’s protected from the cold, he said.