Drug Test 5000!!! No, really- that's what its called.

Salutations

Safe consumption of cannabis is something Canada takes seriously, especially on the roads.  The federal government  has currently approved a roadside impairment test, which actually doesn't TEST for impairment, but rather the presence of THC in saliva.  I believe that it is extremely important that people always check themselves before they wreck themselves, especially anyone new to using cannabis OR driving. 

If you get pulled over and the police have a reasonable assumption you might be too high to drive- ( READ: HIGH AT ALL) they can legally administer the Dräger DrugTest® 5000.   That sort of sounds like a gadget that agent Maxwell Smart would use, but I assure you- there is nothing funny about it, other than the hilarious name.  It doesn't actually measure impairment.

I find it very invasive, for both the officers who must administer these tests and the civilians who will almost certainly balk at having a swab forced in their mouth while they wait on the side of the road for a 5-10 minute test of dubious quality to determine whether THC was present.  And it doesn't work below +5 Degrees Celcius- making it pretty well useless for half of the year.

I hope none of you ever have to deal with this- But if you do, know that it won't always be this way.

There are alternatives in development, one such method that is showing great promise, is a full spectrum analyzer which can test for THC, cocaine, opiates and meth and it tests your fingerprints. Linked is a science heavy article with all of the meta data you can handle, but it's showing a 99% success rate for THC in studies where they could compare to post mortem chemical analysis. 

As to when- and how- we will see changes, it's anyone's guess.  It would be in everyone's best interest to know the law as it pertains to cannabis / driving in Canada.  Let us not become a statistic and show the world that we can act responsibly behind the wheel.

" I am Astar- I am a robot.  I can put my arm back on.   You can't... so play safe."
Still as true today, as it was in 1988.