President ’ s MESSAGE
FaLL 2017 Volume 9 , number 3
magazine @ caamanitoba . com
Editor-in-Chief Kellie Davenport CAA Manitoba Managing Editor Lea currie Associate Editor craig moy
Art Director gary Davidson Designer Dan Parsons
The High Road a look at road safety and legalized marijuana use
It ’ s hIgh tIme we talk about drugged driving . Historically , drug-impaired driving has been less discussed than driving drunk . But as the Government of Canada takes steps to legalize marijuana , conversations about driving high must take place .
If you think drug-impaired driving isn ’ t a problem , think again . The statistics are startling . A voluntary roadside survey , commissioned by Manitoba Public Insurance last year , polled more than 1,200 drivers and found one in 10 motorists had drugs in their system .
A 2016 CAA National study found over a quarter of Canadians aged 18 to 34 believe a driver is the same or better while driving under the influence . That ’ s completely false — and it underscores the importance of robust public education to debunk marijuana myths .
Education needs to begin today , not when marijuana is legalized in 2018 . We need dedicated , adequate funding . We need teaching material available to schools , parents and the community to fight misconceptions of driving high . And we need persuasive awareness campaigns . Without all of these things , road safety will be compromised .
In Manitoba , Bill 25 bans individuals from consuming marijuana in a vehicle . It also gives law enforcement
the right to suspend someone ’ s licence for 24 hours if they believe the person is under the influence of marijuana . But this is just a start .
Our governments must dedicate funding for research to develop tools to help police identify marijuanaimpaired motorists . The first line of defense — and a requirement to keep our roads safe — is training hundreds of officers as drug-recognition experts ( DREs ) with the right instruments .
While police should be specially trained , the reality is that we need more than the power of human deduction to determine marijuana impairment . Unlike a breathalyzer for alcohol , there ’ s no accurate tool to detect marijuana . This lack of drugtesting technology is a major concern .
While impairment behind the wheel has long been a problem , we have a new opportunity to tackle the issue from various angles . We are working with the government , so stay tuned to hear more from us about this topic .
Mike Mager President caa manitoba
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Publisher Douglas Kelly Production Director maria mendes Production Manager judy strader Production Coordinator colleen gilroy Prepress Coordinator Kathleen Fregillana
ST . JOSEPH MEDIA Chairman tony gagliano President Douglas Knight General Manager and Vice President , Finance Karl Percy Vice President , Strategic Development Duncan clark Vice President , Marketing and Production Darlene storey Vice President , Research clarence Poirier Editorial Director , Special Projects maryam sanati
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4 fall 2017
CAA Manitoba