The battle against drug-impaired driving in BC got a boost Tuesday, with the federal government pledging millions in funding for frontline police officers.
Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair says the roughly $10 million in funding, over a five year period, will go towards increasing the number of police officers trained in field sobriety testing as well as drug expert evaluation.
"There's been an increasing awareness of the dangers of operating a vehicle not just by alcohol, but other drugs, in particular cannabis," he said.
The B.C. funding announcement comes just a few weeks after the federal government pledged $17 million for police in Ontario in their fight against drivers who get behind the wheel while impaired by drugs.
The money there will be spread out over a five-year period across the province, and go to things like training in standardized sobriety testing and the purchase of new drug screening devices.
There has been controversy in B.C. over the Dräger 5000 screening device. While some departments in the province have bought it and tested it, it appears no B.C. police forces are currently using it.
Some lawyers have raised questions about the device’s accuracy to screen for drug impairment.
Vancouver police have previously said they did not see a large increase in the number of drivers impaired by drugs behind the wheel in the first few months since legalization.
VPD figures from April show about 20 people had been charged under the Cannabis Act since legalization, while another 100 violation tickets were issued during the same timeframe.
The federal government has recently ramped up a public safety campaign include ads and social media posts urging people not to get behind the wheel if they’re impaired by drugs.
