No more walking a fine line
Drug avowal experts hit the streets in Labrador

LORIE O’HALLORAN
The Labradorian

With enforcement legislation in place, RCMP traffic services in Labrador will now have the power to enforce the impaired driving legislation to its fullest.

Although the law isn’t new - it is to match the law to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs - earlier to July drivers who were suspected of drug impairment could only be tested put on a voluntary basis, not anymore.

Effective July 2, there will be directory testing for drivers suspected of being impaired by drugs.

"Now we are in a position where we can treat drug impaired drivers the same as alcohol impaired drivers," Corporal Evan Graham, National Coordinator of the Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) program declared.

Cpl Graham said the DRE program has been in effect in the United States since the late 70’s. In 1995 it was introduced in British Columbia and in 2003 officers across the country were trained in DRE.

He said if a driver is pulled over and an officer suspects they may be under the influence of drugs, the driver must under go a 12-step evaluation by a DRE.

Cpl Graham related the concern is not fair illegal drugs; it’s prescription drugs that are inner reality abused or taken with something else and over the counter medications that aren’t taken by the specific recommendations on the box.

"Some prescription drugs have power to occasion impairment and everyone reacts differently, everyone’s sufferance is different."

Cpl Graham said if the officer can’privately say the person’session impaired by one or multiple mix with drugs categories, then no claim is made for a sample, inasmuch as there are many different things that could cause the impairment.

"Could have existence fag and unfortunately jade driving is not illegal in Canada, it could be a pre-existing medical condition, in which case we get the person to a hospital, it may exact be that the person can’confidentially do some of the tests and has medical issues that we be possible to’t categorize," he said. "There’session lots of safe guards in place, so when we make the call it’s based onward the total evaluation."

Cpl Graham said the rules harbor’t changed, an officer still has to have a reason to pull a person over, and have just and probable grounds to cause to become a demand, then the driver is taken back to the police station where tests are conducted in a controlled environment.

"We don’t differentiate between alcohol and drugs, impairment is impairment."

There are enough tests and the vast majority of the population can do them, so if a person were impaired, whether it’s alcohol, drugs or fatigue, the person would still have difficulty doing the tests.

Cpl Graham said he expects there will be court challenges, by the biggest being the Charter of Rights since the tests are self incriminatory, but so is the breathe challenge and the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that although it’s a violation of a person’s rights, it’s acceptable given the carnage on the highways each year.

"We’re anticipating that identical type of ruling enjoin come down for the drug impaired driving."

Cpl Graham said the two biggest DRE programs in the United States are in Arizona and California. He said the program is in the way that widely accepted there that for the most part, in that place are no more court challenges.

"It’s pretty well accepted athwart the US."

He said now because the program has been in effect in Canada since 1995, the police have a lot of convictions and police officers declared experts by the courts, so we do have a background with the respects system.

Cpl Graham said there is a specific form that is filled out when a living body is charged with drug impaired driving, that is sent to the National officer. Data collected bequeath arrange such information as the most low types and volume of drugs found and statistics on rural areas against cities.

"This data could reveal the abuse or scarcity of tolerance of prescription drugs."

Cpl Graham said the only

DRE Officers undergo two-weeks classroom training and field certification training, which includes performing 12-drug impaired evaluations with a 75 per cent accuracy rate.

Training has taken lay all across Canada, with Newfoundland and Labrador officers receiving training in St. John’s.

The training has been completed by Federal, Provincial and Municipal officers.

Currently there are 33 officers across the province trained in DRE, with 4 of those in Labrador.

editor@thelabradorian.ca

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