Résumé
“Drugged driving has been increasingly recognized as a priority in the past decade. Growing discussions among Federal government agencies regarding public safety concerns and the regulatory approach to cannabis has prompted greater attention to drugged driving and strategies to address this problem. Coordinated action across law enforcement, transportation and health sectors at Federal and provincial/territorial levels is needed to keep Canadians safe on our roads. To date, governments have been challenged by competing road safety priorities and the issue of drugged driving has been one of many that demands attention. As such, the recent focus on cannabis provides an important opportunity to review and explore effective strategies to prevent and reduce drugged driving. To this end, several priority issues must be addressed and resolved so that provincial governments and road safety stakeholders are able to implement effective policies and programs with respect to cannabis-impaired driving. These issues include: research, laws and penalties, implementation strategies, public perceptions and education, and metrics and evaluation. Decisions in these areas will influence effectiveness in preventing and reducing cannabis-impaired driving. The identification of priority strategies, relevant issues, and implementation plans was a central focus of this study, which can serve to inform road safety strategies for drugged driving. A total of 46 individuals consisting of both line staff and managers from 25 agencies that represented Federal and provincial stakeholders in the areas of law enforcement, transportation and health were interviewed to identify cannabis-impaired driving legislative and policy priorities, the types of knowledge that are most relevant to inform decision-making in these areas, and concerns related to implementation. The results from this study highlighted the priority issues related to cannabis-impaired driving that require attention and coordinated action. These results provided practical insight into the knowledge and tools that are needed to help stakeholders address this issue, and, the remaining barriers that must be overcome to ensure road safety enhancements.”—Page v.