Canada’s new impaired driving laws are set to come into effect to align with cannabis legalization, but concerns still remain regarding the validity of road side testing for cannabis intoxication.
In a release, the Canadian government said it will invest “$919,065 over three years to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to help advance scientific knowledge on the impacts of cannabis on drivers ranging in age from 19 to 45.”
The study aims to help determine how THC can affect driving across ages and genders, and whether things like risk-taking and reaction time are modified by increased levels of THC.
“While we have known for a long time that cannabis use affects our ability to drive, more in-depth and targeted knowledge is necessary to set limits for blood concentrations of THC,” said Professor Bruna Brands, research scientist at Health Canada and collaborating scientist at CAMH. “This research will enable us to set such limits, comparable to those which were set for alcohol several decades ago.”
The study will be completed by June 2020, but the new cannabis-impairment laws will come into force later this year.
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