Impairment

Question 1

Where is cannabis impairment an issue?

Answer 1

Driving, workplace testing

Question 2

What is the main cannabinoid of interest when discussing impairment?

Answer 2

THC

Question 3

What is the penalty for driving with THC blood level of 2 ng/mL - 5 ng/mL?

Answer 3

Maximum fine of $1,000.

Question 4

What is the penalty for a first offense of driving with a blood [THC] of 5 ng/mL or more?

Answer 4

Minimum $1,000 fine.

Question 5

What is the penalty for a second offense of driving with a blood [THC] of 5 ng/mL or more?

Answer 5

30 days imprisonment.

Question 6

What is the penalty for a third offense of driving with a blood [THC] of 5 ng/mL or more?

Answer 6

120 days imprisonment.

Question 7

What is the penalty for a first offense of driving with a blood [THC] of up to 2.5 ng/mL and greater than 0.05% BAC?

Answer 7

Min. $1,000 fine.

Question 8

What is the penalty for a second offense of driving with a blood [THC] of up to 2.5 ng/mL and greater than 0.05% BAC?

Answer 8

30 days imprisonment.

Question 9

What is the penalty for a first offense of driving with a blood [THC] of up to 2.5 ng/mL and greater than 0.05% BAC?

Answer 9

120 days imprisonment.

Question 10

True or false: A per se limit is the limit at which all drivers below are not impaired and drivers above are impaired.

Answer 10

False.

Question 11

Define impairment.

Answer 11

Decreased ability to perform a certain task.

Question 12

Define intoxication.

Answer 12

Observable signs of drug use.

Question 13

What types of studies can help investigate impairment?

Answer 13

Lab-based studies, studies of driving performance (on-road and simulated), epidemiology.

Question 14

What type of situations are lab-based studies useful for?

Answer 14

For controlled environments and measurement of individual areas.

Question 15

What type of situations are driving performance studies useful for?

Answer 15

Real world relevance.

Question 16

Does cannabis cause impairment?

Answer 16

There is consensus within the scientific community that cannabis is associated with impairment, but the relationship is complicated.

Question 17

List some cognitive and motor functions required for driving that cannabis has acute impairing effects on.

Answer 17

Decision-making, divided attention, motor coordination, reaction time.

Question 18

What critical safe driving abilities has cannabis been shown to affect?

Answer 18

Slow reaction time, road tracking, cognitive performance, executive functions.

Question 19

In terms of risk-taking, what have some driving simulator studies shown about driving after cannabis use?

Answer 19

Reduce speed, be less likely to pass, increase their following distance in an attempt to compensate for their perceived impairment.

Question 20

What are risk-assessment questionnaires used for?

Answer 20

To measure an individual’s risk perception, which often correlates with actual behaviour.

Question 21

How does perception of impairment differ between cannabis and alcohol users?

Answer 21

Cannabis users often overestimate their level of impairment while alcohol users tend to underestimate their level of impairment.

Question 22

Why is it difficult to predict the extent to which a given amount of cannabis will have an impact on an individual?

Answer 22

Because the effects of cannabis reported across numerous studies have variable results.

Question 23

What can variability of results be attributed to in terms of study design?

Answer 23

Dose, sensitivity of task or equipment, time after use.

Question 24

What can variability of results be attributed to in terms of individuals?

Answer 24

Task skill, prior cannabis experience, usual dose and frequency of use, route of administration.

Question 25

What have some recent studies shown regarding the impairing effects of THC:CBD ratios?

Answer 25

THC dominant and THC/CBD equivalent cannabis impair driving ability while CBD dominant did not have impairing effects.

Question 26

Does impairment directly correlate with blood [THC]?

Answer 26

No.

Question 27

Does peak impairment occur when THC concentration in blood is at or near peak levels?

Answer 27

No.

Question 28

Can peak THC concentrations occur when low impairment is measured?

Answer 28

Yes.

Question 29

Can high impairment be measured when [THC] is low?

Answer 29

Yes.

Question 30

What might variability in blood [THC] and impairment arise from?

Answer 30

After smoking, THC concentrations drop rapidly while impairment may persist for hours, tolerance, chronic heavy users can have residual blood [THC], route of administration and affect blood [THC].

Question 31

What does epidemiology say about cannabis and impairment?

Answer 31

Driving under the influence of cannabis was associated with a significantly increased risk of motor vehicle collisions compared with unimpaired driving.

Question 32

What are 4 tools that are used to investigate impaired driving?

Answer 32

Standard field sobriety testing (SFST), Drug recognition evaluation (DRE), oral fluid screening equipment, blood testing for THC concentration.

Question 33

What signs of cannabis use are police officers told to look out for?

Answer 33

Paranoia, body/eyelid tremors, drowsiness, increased appetite, uncoordinated, disorientation/confusion, dilated/unstable pupils, altered time/distance perception, drug residue in mouth.

Question 34

What is the main tool which can be used at the roadside without any specialized equipment?

Answer 34

SFST

Question 35

What three tests for SFST consist of?

Answer 35

Walk and turn, one-leg stand, examination of eye movements known as nystagmus.

Question 36

What was the original purpose of the SFST?

Answer 36

Originally used to detect alcohol impairment but is now used to detect other drugs including cannabis.

Question 37

Has research been conducted that shows a scientific basis for SFST?

Answer 37

Yes.

Question 38

Outline the training required to use DRE testing.

Answer 38

2-week course on the science of drugs and the basics of how to perform all of the required tests followed by 1-week practical testing where you have to successfully ID what category of the drug a person is on.

Question 39

What is DRE?

Answer 39

A detailed, diagnostic exam of persons arrested or suspected of drug-impaired driving or similar offenses. Based on the results of the drug evaluation, the DRE forms an expert opinion on a number of factors.

Question 40

What factors does a DRE form an opinion on?

Answer 40

Is the person impaired and, if so, are they able to safely operate a vehicle. If impaired, is this impairment due to an injury or is it drug-related. If impairment is due to drugs, what category or combination of categories of drugs is the most likely source of the impairment.

Question 41

What does section 52 of the constitution Act, 1982 establish?

Answer 41

The supremacy of the Constitution over all other laws in Canada.

Question 42

Define section 52 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

Answer 42

The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law of Canada, and any law that is inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution is, to the extent of the inconsistency, of no force or effect.

Question 43

What information is required to establish that use of a drug results in impairment of driving skills and to justify a testing program to respond to such a hazard?

Answer 43

1) The drug can be demonstrated in lab studies to produce a dose-related impairment of skills associated with driving or with related psychomotor functions, 2) Concentrations of the drug and/or its metabolites in body fluids can be accurately and quantitatively measured and related to the degree of impairment produced, 3) Such impairment is confirmed by actual highway experience, 4) simple behavioural tests can indicate the presence of such impairment to the satisfaction of the courts and 5) A range of concentrations of the drug can be incorporated into laws relating to impaired driving as ipso facto evidence.

Question 44

What have authors concluded about per se limits and impairment?

Answer 44

The use of per se limits as a means of identifying cannabis-impaired drivers should be reconsidered as there is a significant risk of unimpaired individuals being mistakenly identified as impaired under this approach.

Question 45

What is another important question in addition to impairment issues related to per se limits?

Answer 45

Does a positive result from an oral screening test indicate a blood THC concentration greater than the legal limit?

Question 46

How did ON prepare for research on fatal motor vehicle collisions following cannabis legalization?

Answer 46

Started to collect data before legalization so that any impact after 2018 could be monitored.

Question 47

In the last study look at drug findings in FMVCs (2011), in how many deaths was THC positive?

Answer 47

27%