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As Spring 2017 nears, Manitoba is taking the necessary steps to prepare for the legalization of Marijuana in Canada.
New legislation was introduced that targets drug-impaired driving and prioritizes the health and safety of Manitoba youth. The proposed legislation would change the Highway Traffic Act and ensures police agencies are better equipped to deal with drug-impaired drivers.
Highlights include:
- allow for 24-hour driver’s license suspensions if a police officer believes the driver is under the influence of a drug and unable to safely operate a motor vehicle;
- require the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to determine if graduated licensed drivers who receive the 24-hour suspension should face further consequences;
- create an offence for consuming marijuana in or on a vehicle that is on a highway;
- require marijuana to be stored in a secure compartment – for example, the vehicle’s trunk – so that it is inaccessible to people in the vehicle, similar to the rules around open liquor
- establish similar restrictions and prohibitions related to marijuana use for individuals driving off-road vehicles.
Though the federal government is expected to make an announcement in Spring 2017, actual legalization is not expected to take place until 2019.
