Mothers Against Drunk Driving received a new weapon to combat impaired driving heading into the New Year, but also faces a new challenge in the form of legal cannabis.
Mandatory alcohol screening rolled out Dec. 18 in Ontario, while recreational marijuana was legalized on Oct. 17. MADD's Chaouki Hamka tells AM800 news mandatory screening is going to be a great deterrent for those who have a couple drinks and think they're okay to drive.
"There is strong evidence that it will definitely deter people from making a horrible decision," he says. "We're not against people going out and having a great time, it is New Year's and we want people to celebrate responsibly."
He says the new legislation will also combat habitual impaired drivers — the ones that know they're drunk, and still get behind the wheel.
"The ones that thinking to themselves, 'I will never get caught, I'm invincible. They're not going to catch me because I'm going to go undetected.'" says Hamka. "Now ... that there's a chance of them being automatically breathalysed if they're pulled over, it's definitely going to make them take a step back and say, 'maybe I shouldn't make that decision to drive impaired.'"
Hamka knows it's foolish to think pot hasn't been a factor every-year, but now that it's legal, the number of people trying it for the first time could go up.
Those first timers may feel okay to drive after drinking in moderation, but that second buzz from the pot could kick in while they're on the road.
"It might even take somebody three hours before they even get impaired the first time they do it [ingest marijuana]," he says. "I think the biggest thing is, when you mix cannabis with alcohol, they play off of each other and the impairment is going to be more severe."
As he does every year, Hamka reminds everyone to plan ahead for a ride home and be patient if that cab, Uber or ride share is running late.
Hamka says getting to the next party or back home an hour or two earlier, isn't worth your life.