`Dangerous' drivers
Manitoba pot users engage in risky behaviour: CAA poll
The delayed effects of edible forms of cannabis pose a “serious risk” on the roadways, CAA Manitoba warns just ahead of 4/20.
Pointing to an online survey done last summer, the auto club notes that nearly two-thirds of responding drivers wait less than three hours after ingestion before getting behind the wheel.
“The data shows us that there is a significant number of impaired drivers under the influence of edible cannabis which poses a great risk to road safety,” Ewald Friesen, community and government relations manager at CAA Manitoba, said. “Edibles pose a greater risk for impairment and road safety since they can often take up to two hours for the effects to kick in.”
Overall awareness of the risks of driving under the influence of cannabis is high, with 89% of respondents agreeing it's a serious risk to road safety.
But CAA said that more than a quarter of respondents — 27% — admitted to driving after consuming edibles and among those, two-thirds feel confident in their ability to drive.
“While some believe that cannabis doesn't impair their driving ability, it has been proven to affect coordination, reaction time, decision-making and the ability to pay attention. We would like to see more public education and awareness on the risks of cannabis-impaired driving,” Friesen said.
Almost two-thirds of Manitoba drivers (64%) believe cannabis-impaired driving is the most important public education topic related to cannabis, more than education on health risks (63%) and health risks for youth under 25 (59%).
A Winnipeg Police Service public education campaign using the messaging `Don't Drive High,' and `Dangerous, detectable and definitely illegal' ran through February in concert with an enforcement campaign.
Of 113 traffic stops, 48 drivers were administered oral fluid tests which resulted in 23 positive results for recent cannabis consumption.
“The myth that `cannabis makes me a better driver' is simply wrong,” Patrol Sgt. Stephane Fontaine, the Winnipeg Police's impaired countermeasures co-ordinator said at a press conference.
“One major side effect of cannabis is that it interferes with a person's ability to divide their attention and multitask. More specifically, they have difficulty dealing with more than one or two things at a time. Since driving is a multitasking behaviour, doing it while under the influence of cannabis becomes very dangerous.”
The public education campaign was allocated $35,000 by Manitoba Justice from federal drug-impaired driving funds.
The survey also found that 21% of Manitoba drivers weren't aware of penalties faced for any type of impaired driving, which can include an immediate 24-hour licence suspension with a maximum of 60 days upon further testing, a $400 vehicle impoundment of three days, a mandatory impaired driver assessment at the driver's expense and potential charges under the Criminal Code of Canada.
The Dig Insights survey polled 500 drivers in the province aged 19-75 who had access to a vehicle between June 22-July 5, 2023.
The margin of error is expressed as plus or minus 3%.
The myth that `cannabis makes me a better driver' is simply wrong. Stephane Fontaine