With the legalization of cannabis, the majority of Canadians are concerned about cannabis-impaired drivers on the road. A recent poll conducted by Leger on behalf of Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) found that 84% of Canadians believe that driving while high poses a real risk to road safety.
Impaired driving due to alcohol consumption has become taboo, but the same can’t be assumed for impaired driving due to cannabis use. Appropriate penalties and detection tools are necessary to discourage all forms of impaired driving so that the legalization of cannabis doesn’t put public safety at risk.
The poll found that:
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78% of Canadians are concerned about cannabis-impaired drivers on the road once cannabis becomes legal.
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84% of Canadians believe that driving while high poses a real risk.
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70% of Canadians believe that driving while high is as dangerous as driving while impaired by alcohol.
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43% of Canadians stated that they do not know how long to wait before it is safe to drive once they have consumed cannabis.
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61% of Canadian cannabis users believe it’s safe to wait less than three hours after consuming cannabis to drive.
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62% of Canadian cannabis users have either driven or been a passenger in a car where the driver had recently consumed cannabis.
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60% of Canadians believe that police will use a cannabis-impairment test equivalent to the breathalyzer.
Drivers need to treat cannabis like alcohol and recognize that driving under the influence of cannabis is the same as driving drunk. Impaired driving is dangerous and should be taboo – regardless of the substance consumed.
Brochure:
Cannabis Legalization in Canada: What You Need to Know (PDF)