After receiving a special training in Ottawa, Estevan Police Service Constable Deanna Conquergood is now fully equipped to detect drivers impaired by marijuana or cocaine.
“The training enhances more of my knowledge about impaired driving by drug. It gave me more tools to use to try to prevent and try to detect drivers who are impaired by drugs,” Conquergood said.
With the new equipment now in place in Estevan, it is much easier for police officers to determine if drivers were using cannabis or cocaine prior to driving.
“I got trained on how to use the oral fluids screening device. The device itself tests for THC, which is the impairing component in marijuana. It also does test for cocaine,” Conquergood said.
The device will read positive for anything over 25 nanograms (ng) of THC per ml of blood, with it being considered an offence to have over two ng/ml of THC. If suspected impaired driver tests positive on the oral fluid screening device, the following urine test will be positive for THC as well.
Any level of cocaine in the blood is considered an offence. The use of either cannabis or cocaine restricts people from driving.
“It’s another tool in my arsenal to help combat the problem we have here for impaired driving,” Conquergood said.
The positive reading is the red flag to police officers. It will result in further testing to determine the actual concentration of the substance in the blood of an offender. Same with alcohol; penalties for impaired driving range from a mandatory minimum fine to a life sentence.
Suspicious driving is one of the main reasons to check the person behind the steering wheel for impairment. Estevan police is also planning on using the new screening device for regular roadside check stops.
For more details on what to expect if you decide to drive under drug impairment, check out next week’s Estevan Mercury issue.
