The issue of impaired driving has been one of the main talking points in regards to cannabis legalization. Companies are working hard on developing the technology so that law enforcement can test drivers on the side of the road to see if they have any THC in their system. Several politicians and law enforcement officials have voiced their concerns about impaired driving taking place after legalization finally happens. However, a recent survey is showing a surprising number of people who don’t think driving after using cannabis is a problem.
The study, conducted by State Farm, showed one out of four Canadians saying that they don’t think or don’t know that cannabis use and driving is dangerous. In spite of this, over 60% of those surveyed said that law enforcement is not ready to deal with impaired drivers, while over 80% said that drivers impaired from cannabis should be legally punished.
John Bordignon, from State Farm’s Media Relations, commented on this, saying “At a time when legislators and advisors are considering how to legalize marijuana it is clear that Canadians have questions and are concerned about an increase in impaired driving. We know marijuana impairs judgement and reaction time, so any move to legalize it has to be matched with safeguards to discourage drivers from getting behind the wheel while they are influenced by it. Keeping our roads and streets safe must be a clear priority.”
Nine out of ten people said that they had never driven after cannabis use, and out of those who said they did, 40% said that their driving wasn’t impacted while 14% were unsure. We will continue to follow the latest on how legalization will affect Canadians on the road.