Police becoming more sophisticated in testing for drug-impaired Alberta drivers

RCMP Cpl. Richard Nowak, left, and Edmonton Police Service Det. Braydon Lawrence at the 22nd International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety Conference in Edmonton on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. Photo by Emma Graney

More Albertans are being taken in to be tested for driving under the influence of drugs since cannabis was legalized, but the province hasn’t seen a rise in drug-impaired fatalities, according to figures released at the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety Conference in Edmonton Sunday.

Not yet, anyway, although RCMP Cpl. Richard Nowak cautions we’re only at the 10-month mark since legalization.

“It’s not necessarily the massive reefer madness that people were projecting it to be,” he told Postmedia in an interview Sunday.

“We were preparing for the worst-case scenario and hoping for the best.”

Nowak coordinates Alberta’s drug evaluation and classification system. He joined forces with Edmonton Police Service Det. Braydon Lawrence at the conference Sunday to share their insights from the front lines in a time of legalized cannabis.

READ MORE HERE: beta.canada.com/news/local-news/police-becoming-more-sophisticated-in-testing-for-drug-impaired-alberta-drivers/wcm/fae22a9b-f8a8-4925-b73c-1dca47acb11f/amp/

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