An Edmonton woman driving a scooter was struck and killed in an automobile accident. The RCMP concluded the cause was cannabis-impaired driving.
"The drug-recognition expert felt that the person was impaired and impaired by cannabis-related drugs" - Const. Braydon Lawrence
Why are cannabis-related horror stories from accidents to overdoese so suddenly and prominently in the news lately? It must be that with legalisation, a bunch of idiots who always do what they're told and can't think for themselves try cannabis for the first time (because they're allowed to) hence the rise accidents. But wait, stories of edibles overdoses, especially involving children "taken to hospital" but NOT "hospitalized" are also prominent, yet we've had black and grey market edibles around for a long time prior to legalisation, without the flurry of news stories.
Alternatively, the buzz could be that it's just mainstream media-constructed reefer madness coming to do what legalisation truly intended: crack down and control. Edmonton RCMP's Constable Lawrence even says that "he doesn't recall any previous case in Edmonton where cannabis impairment was related to a charge of impaired driving causing death."
What is that control going to look like? "At the time of the crash, Edmonton police did not have roadside screening devices for cannabis", and now "officers have been using Dräger units, which test the amount of THC in saliva, as part of a pilot project that will continue until May." They'll now be able to test your bodily fluids and charge you, even if you haven't been involved in an accident or used cannabis in days/weeks.
