The province introduced new legislation that is intended to put drug-impaired driving laws into place, before pot is legalized next year.
With impaired driving being the leading cause of criminal death in Canada, the Alberta government says making these updates to the Traffic Safety Act is crucial to keeping Alberta roads safe.
“Impairment, is impairment, is impairment. If you’re impaired on the road, we need to do something to take you off the road,” said Brian Mason, Transportation Minister.
Mason says that other jurisdictions have seen an increase of impaired driving when cannabis has become legal. In addition to the new legislation, the province will be rolling out a campaign to educate the public on the gravity of driving under the influence of marijuana.
“The real risk here is that is that people don’t feel cannabis is quite as bad or is as impairing of a substance as alcohol. And nothing could be further from the truth,” said Mason.
The new driving laws would look very similar to those that are already in place for drunk-driving. The new legislation would include extending the zero-tolerance for new drivers, to include marijuana. Fully licensed drivers caught with more than two but less than five nanograms (ng) of THC per millilitre (ml) of blood, would face a maximum fine of $1,000. Drivers caught with more than 5 ng/ml would face an increased fine, and possibly jail time after their first offense.
The Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP) wrote a letter to Albertans after the bill was proposed, stating its concerns about the legalization of cannabis in Alberta. The AACP believes the timeline is “aggressive” and says, there isn’t enough time to prepare the needed framework and regulations to ensure public safety.
As of right now, police don’t have a roadside test available for cannabis impairment. The province says that the federal government is currently testing a device that would allow police to conduct roadside tests.
