Listen up, Canadian stoners. Laws are about to get a lot harsher for those who decide to smoke up and then hop in the car for a trip around the block. The country is now putting stricter rules in place for stoned driving, and the updated laws will be more in line with the penalties for drunk driving than the current lax ones. As it stands, there isn’t a reliable way to tell how much people are smoking or what the levels are for different people so there is work to be done as far as identifying the worst offenders behind the wheel.
Those who are caught consuming and commandeering a vehicle could be hit with a costly ticket (minimum $180) and a temporary suspension of their license. Multi-instance offenders and people who are clearly incredibly affected are now subject to a heftier fine, educational requirements, and even jail time. Canada is definitely not messing around when deterring people from taking a hit and then taking the wheel.
And just in case there are people out there figuring out if there is a loophole to avoid the harsher penalties, these laws now apply “across all substances” according to a transportation ministry announcement. So don’t count on getting out of a jam because you were smoking something besides weed.
(via Vice)