The Canadian government is pondering whether it should approve a drug screener to test drivers suspected to be impaired by cannabis.
Last month, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould gave notice of her intention to approve the Dräger DrugTest® 5000 STK-CA.
This product is described as “an easy to use mobile drug screening system that uses oral fluid to test for seven types of the most commonly abused drugs” that is for the use of law enforcement only.
This “quick” drug test would allow officers to swab someone’s mouth. It is said to provide “a non-invasive alternative to the hassle of collecting urine or blood samples.”
See also: Botaniq ‘Power Top 10’ of Canadian Cannabis Industry nominations open
Roadside checks of this kind were passed as part of Bill C46 this past June, as part of a huge overhaul to the country’s impaired driving laws.
The bill authorizes police officers who suspect a driver is high to “demand the driver provide a sample of a bodily substances for analysis.”
It also create new offences for those driving with drugs higher than the legal limit
Want to have your say?
The Canadian government is accepting feedback.
A public comment period on the proposed drug screener is underway until Aug.18
Once the comment period closes, @MinJusticeEn will take into account feedback received in addition to scientific advice to make a final decision about whether to approve this drug screener. https://t.co/VDctvCE27L
— Justice Canada (@JusticeCanadaEN) July 31, 2018
Once that concludes, Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould will consider the feedback received, in addition to scientific advice from experts to make a final decision about whether to approve this drug screener.
