Cannabis is the leading cause of fatalities on roadways, says MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie

Emma Spears - thegrowthop.com Posted 5 years ago
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Andrew Murie, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada, incited outrage with statements he made last week about cannabis.

Murie told CTV News that “cannabis presence is the leading cause of fatalities on our roadways. Not only in Ontario but right through Canada.”

But the numbers don’t necessarily add up–or even definitively exist.

 

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In 2014, per MADD Canada’s own website, 99 fatalities (13%) “occurred in crashes involving individuals who were positive for alcohol alone”; 618 fatalities (26.9%) “occurred in crashes involving individuals who were positive for drugs alone”; and 356 fatalities (15.5%) “occurred in crashes involving individuals who were positive for both alcohol and drugs.” MADD further states that “cannabis, the most commonly found drug, is present in almost half of the drug-positive fatal crashes”–which would mean that cannabis was found in about 484 fatalities (45%).

Makes sense so far. But MADD then goes on to state that “it must be emphasized that the figures document the presence of alcohol and/or drugs and not whether the individual was legally impaired. While research indicates that most of the alcohol-positive individuals were likely impaired or very impaired, there is no comparable information on the drug-positive drivers.”

THC can be detected in saliva for roughly 24 hours, although some tests can detect it for longer—whereas MADD advises that drivers wait “a minimum of four hours” for experienced users, rendering it extremely difficult to evaluate whether the driver was in fact impaired by cannabis.

MADD also states in their “Cannabis and Driving” section that  “Researchers note, and MADD Canada recognizes, that the simple presence of cannabis does not mean a driver is impaired,” although “roadside surveys often find levels of cannabis high enough to impact driving ability.” Roadside tests are not admissible in court.

Essentially, it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to definitively state that the presence of cannabis is the leading cause of fatalities on roadways–in Ontario, or in Canada.

Which is not to say impaired driving isn’t a problem in Canada–it is. Canada has the worst alcohol-impaired driving death rates among wealthy countries, and recreational drug users, cannabis or otherwise, should avoid getting behind the wheel after consuming.

According to Statistics Canada’s most recent National Cannabis Survey (2018/2nd quarter), 14% of Canadian cannabis users reported driving one or more times “within two hours of using cannabis in the past three months,” and 5% of Canadians “reported being a passenger in a vehicle driven by someone who had consumed cannabis within the previous two hours.”

Some institutions are getting wise about gathering data more accurately.  The Edmonton Police service added a flag to report incidences in which drivers were suspected of being cannabis-impaired–whereas before, reports were simply classified under “drugs” or “alcohol.” An EPS Commission report found less than 100 instances of drivers impaired by cannabis in 2018.

There is plenty of evidence to prove that impaired driving kills, but advocates must be cognizant that their credibility hinges on accuracy, not hysteria.

 

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