Province toughens its stance on drug-impaired drivers

Licence suspension, $180 fine take effect Sunday for those caught driving while high

Motorists stopped by police for driving while high on marijuana — or other drugs — will face the same penalties as drunk drivers starting Sunday in Ontario.

At a minimum, that means a fine of $180 and an immediate licence suspension under legislation passed last year to combat growing problems with drivers under the influence.

Criminal charges can also be laid, as with drunk driving. Sentences can range up to five years. “What we do know from law enforcement is that there is an increase of those who are impaired by drugs, especially in combination with alcohol,” Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said this week.

“At all times, if you get behind the wheel of a car or any other vehicle on the road, you shouldn’t be impaired by anything. Not alcohol. Not drugs.”

Drivers who fail a field sobriety test on the roadside face a three-day licence suspension for a first occurrence, seven days for a second and 30 days for a third.

Licences can be suspended for 90 days and vehicles impounded for seven days if motorists are taken to a police station for further evaluation by a drug recognition expert, including a urine test.

Toronto Police have dealt with 57 drug-impaired drivers so far this year, up dramatically from 21 in the same period of 2015, he added.

Getting the message out that impaired driving is dangerous and deadly remains “sadly, a challenge,” Stibbe said.

“The community must recognize their responsibility and the risk they take when driving while impaired.”

With the federal government expected to legalize marijuana, authorities are keen on bolstering the message that driving while high is not only illegal, but dangerous, said Del Duca, who attended a meeting of transportation ministers on Wednesday.

“We want to make sure that everyone understands there is a potential challenge for road safety.”

The federal government has been warned that legalization could lead to a “significant increase” in drugimpaired driving. The group Mothers Against Drunk Driving has pressed for a separate category of drug-impaired driving in the Criminal Code, which could lead to the setting of legal limits of the active ingredient in marijuana — tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in the body.