Drug-impaired driving

Cannabis, illegal drugs and some prescription drugs can impair your ability to drive safely and increase the risk of getting into a collision. In fact, impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death and injury in Canada.

Getting behind the wheel while impaired is not only dangerous, it's against the law. Trained police officers and Drug Recognition Experts can determine if you are under the influence and can charge you with impaired driving. You can have your license suspended, receive fines, criminal charges, and even face jail time.

Cannabis and other drugs impairs drivers

Driving after cannabis use has declined since 2018, but is till a top road safety concern.

According to the Canadian Cannabis Survey:

• 22% of cannabis users say they have operated a vehicle within 2 hours of smoking cannabis, down from 27% in 2018
• 14% report driving within 4 hours of ingesting cannabis
• 9% say that they have ridden in a vehicle operated by a driver who was under the effects of cannabis, down from 13% in 2018

Cannabis can impair each person differently. The degree of impairment can depend on:

• the method of consumption if it was smoked, inhaled, or ingested
• the quantity of cannabis consumed
• the recency of use
• the frequency of use
• the variety of cannabis and its THC levels, including cannabis prescribed for medical use

As a result, there is no guidance to drivers about how much cannabis can be consumed before it is unsafe to drive or how long a driver should wait to drive after consuming cannabis.

Don't take a chance. Don't drive high.

Stay alert

When you drive a vehicle, you need to be alert and focused. Cannabis, illegal drugs and some prescribed drugs negatively impact your ability to drive by:

• affecting motor skills
• slowing reaction time
• impairing short term memory and concentration
• causing drivers to vary speed and to wander and
• reducing the ability to make decisions quickly or handle unexpected events^{Footnote 1}

If you drive high, you could hurt or kill any passenger in your vehicle — including yourself. You could also hurt or kill an innocent stranger, and face consequences like a criminal charge, prison time or a fine. Driving while impaired is entirely preventable.

Top reasons people drive after consuming cannabis and other drugs:

• They do not feel impaired
• They think they can drive carefully
• They do not have far to drive
• They do not have alternative transportation
• They do not think they will be caught by law enforcement^{Footnote 2}

Plan ahead

There is no good excuse for driving while impaired, and being a passenger with an impaired driver is also risky. You have options:

• make sure you have a designated driver
• call a friend or loved one to pick you up
• take public transit; or
• call a cab or a ridesharing service

Police protect our roads from drug-impaired drivers

Police are trained to detect if you are driving under the influence of a drug and enforce drug-impaired driving laws using:

• Standard Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE)

In addition to these tests, the new legislation permits law enforcement to use approved drug screening devices to detect the recent presence of several drugs, including any or all of THC from cannabis and cocaine. Canadians are increasingly aware that police can in fact detect impairment at the roadside, a key deterrence measure.

Enforcement of drug-impaired driving laws

Drug-impaired driving has been illegal in Canada since 1925. In addition to risking your life and the lives of others, you could face serious consequences such as having your license suspended, fines, criminal charges or even jail time if you are convicted of driving under the influence of cannabis or other impairing drugs.

As of the end of 2022, there are over 30,000 trained SFST officers across Canada, and over 1,200 trained Drug Recognition Experts. More law enforcement officers are receiving training on an ongoing basis. For the latest figures, refer to the Annual National Data Report to Inform Trends and Patterns in Drug Impaired Driving.

Information for parents

Young people continue to be the largest group of drivers who die in crashes and later test positive for alcohol or drugs, and yet, only 11 per cent of parents surveyed said they had discussed the risks of driving under the influence with their teenagers^{Footnote 3}.

Start a conversation with your children about impaired driving. It could save lives.

Parents: What can you do?

Parents play a vital role in teaching their kids to drive responsibly.

Here are some tips on talking to your child about drug-impaired driving.

Start a conversation

Government of Canada initiatives on drug-impaired driving

• Annual National Data Report to Inform Trends and Patterns in Drug Impaired Driving
• Don't Drive High Public Awareness Campaign for youth
• Strengthening impaired driving laws
• Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driving: Current Tests, Criminal Charges, Penalties, Suspensions and Prohibitions.
• Canadian Cannabis Survey 2024: Summary
• Public opinion research on drug-impaired driving : survey findings report