In BC, cannabis isn’t a new thing to us – but it’s also something that’s about to change in a big way. Jeremy*, a 33-year-old carpenter from Salt Spring Island, has smoked weed pretty much every day since the age of 15. He doesn’t worry about having a puff and driving. “I’ve smoked pot for a long time, so I don’t feel it necessarily affects me a lot. Like, I can smoke a joint and go for a drive and it doesn’t bother me at all,” he says. “I’ve never really felt like I was at the point that I wouldn’t be able to drive.” He pauses. “But whether I should be driving or not? I don’t know, maybe that’s a different question.”
It’s a question more drivers should be asking themselves and answering no. In a recent CAA survey, 69 per cent of Canadians said they believe high driving is dangerous. But nearly one in 10 said they had driven a vehicle while under the influence of cannabis, and one in five said they had been a passenger in a vehicle driven by someone under the influence. Plus, a worrying 20 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they think a driver under the influence of cannabis is the same or better behind the wheel as a sober driver.
It’s a troubling misconception, especially considering how many crashes are caused by cannabis in Canada every year. In 2012 alone, there were an estimated 75 fatalities and 4,407 injuries caused by cannabis-impaired drivers, according to a study led by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.
BCAA – Spring, 2018.
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