Winnipeg police to crack down on cannabis use while driving

Winnipeg police are sending out a simple-yet-forceful message as part of a new media campaign: Don't smoke cannabis and drive.

"Everybody is used to hearing 'don't drink and drive,'" said patrol sergeant Stephane Fontaine, impaired driving countermeasures coordinator with the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS).

"We have to have that same effect when we talk about 'don't drive while high,'" he said.

To increase awareness about the potential dangers of driving while under the influence of cannabis and other drugs the WPS is launching a series of multimedia ads to better educate drivers.

Dubbed the "#DontDriveHigh-Drug-Impaired Driving Enforcement Project," the ads will be sent out on social media channels and seen directly on roadways via billboards.

The police service will also continue enforcement measures targeting drug-impaired drivers.

In mid-January, the WPS, in partnership with Manitoba Public Insurance, started a targeted enforcement project related to cannabis. On the project's first day, January 16, officers conducted 35 traffic stops, with 11 oral fluid tests administered, four of which came back positive for cannabis, according to a WPS release.

The legalization of cannabis created "an additional layer of challenges in relation to education and enforcement action by law enforcement," said WPS superintendent of operational support Brian Miln.

A similar enforcement measure conducted last Fall, said Miln, that brought similarly concerning results, prompted the creation of the awareness campaign.

The campaign will also feature a 15-second video about the dangers of driving under the influence of cannabis.

Core to the campaign will be dispelling myths surrounding cannabis and car use. The WPS noted a prevailing misconception among Canadians is that cannabis use improves one's ability to drive.

"We hope to see a change in minds and attitudes about drug-impaired driving," said President of MADD Canada Tanya Hansen Pratt, "and change risky behaviours."

Pratt's mother died while out for a walk near Portage la Prairie in April 1999  when she was struck and killed by an impaired driver.

"Please plan ahead for a sober ride. It only takes a few minutes and it can prevent a lifetime of grief and heartache," said Pratt.

The WPS lists MADD Canada and Manitoba Public Insurance as partners in the campaign.

Funding for the multimedia campaign largely came from the provincial government, out of a federal fund allocated to help law enforcement agencies deal with enforcement issues resulting from the legalization of cannabis in 2018.