With legislation to legalize marijuana - up to a certain amount - up for approval in the Senate, Altona's Police Chief is enlisting the help of parents to curb its use among area youth. Perry Batchelor feels that impaired driving cases will increase - especially in teens - if the law passes, despite a proposed legal age of 18.

"We all know that the drinking age is eighteen in Manitoba and we know that youth do consume alcohol illegally," he explained.

Batchelor says conversations are extremely important when it comes to protecting our teens. "To have a family dinner and actually discuss things like the dangers of marijuana use, the dangers of either drinking and driving or smoking up and driving high."

He adds, however, before parents can have these conversations they need to educate themselves and says the Internet is a great resource to lean on, as well as local police agencies. Batchelor also encourages parents to check out a service, The Call That Comes After, offered by Drug-Free Kids Canada, to help kick-start that conversation.

The Chief says there are certainly interesting times ahead for the parents and youth of today. "You've just got to hope that we're not dealing with any kind of significant fallout from this."

Meantime, the proposed bill does include provisions to cut youth access to marijuana. Among them is a prison sentence of up to fourteen years for those caught giving or selling to a minor as well as to youth that have committed a pot-related offense.

Driving under the influence of drugs will also remain illegal under suggested updates to Canada's impaired driving laws. While Altona Police officers already charge motorists for driving under the influence of drugs, Batchelor says they just don't have the tools to effectively enforce that law.

"That's based, for the most part, on the police officer or witness observations. Those are more complicated cases to prove in court than driving with alcohol in your system where we have Criminal Code approved (testing) instruments."

The federal government is examining a variety of roadside assessment options, such as a saliva a test, to accompany the tighter impaired driving laws but Batchelor says the best option with the most accurate results is a blood test. He adds, however, this is the most complicated and time-consuming of them all for both the person being tested and the police officer. "It could potentially take an officer off the street for an extended period of time while they're waiting for a qualified practitioner to draw blood."
 
Additional amendments to Canada's impaired driving laws would see the creation of three new offenses under Canada's impaired driving laws for having specified levels of a drug in the blood within two hours of driving. The penalties would depend on the type of drug and the levels, or the combination of alcohol and drugs.

Batchelor encourages people to plan for a designated driver similar to when using alcohol, but he warns of second-hand smoke impacting those plans.

"Probably the best philosophy is if you're driving let's not have this stuff in vehicles. Make sure you have a sober driver if you're smoking marijuana at a party, make sure you've got someone with zero THC when they get behind the wheel."

He reminds citizens of all ages that until this legislation is approved possession of marijuana in any amount, as well as driving while impaired by drugs, remains illegal.