Ottawa man charged with being high behind the wheel

An Ottawa man faces drug impaired driving charges after a traffic stop on the 401 Monday night.

“Whether its drug or alcohol impairment, the end result is similar,” says Leeds OPP Detachment Commander Inspector Mike Francis, “a possible criminal conviction for Impaired Driving, a driver’s license suspension and a vehicle impound.”

An OPP officer patrolling the 401 in Leeds and the Thousand Islands Township noticed an eastbound vehicle after “concerning driving behaviour”. After performing an initial field sobriety test, the officer arrested the man. The driver was then taken to the OPP detachment where a specially trained Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE) officer ran another, more in-depth, 12-step test. Officers then charged the man with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Drug and Possession of Cannabis Marijuana.

Police services across the country are working hard to train more DRE officers before the federal government makes marijuana legal later this year. Unlike breathalyzer tests for alcohol, there is currently no roadside drug impairment test available in Canada.