The passing of the Cannabis act has made it possible for other laws to be updated. If before, impairment will only be because of alcohol, right now, impairment by cannabis is also possible. The laws were rewritten to be specific about the differences of impairment because of alcohol and impairment because of cannabis.
If you have been charged with this crime and you do not know what to do, you should contact a criminal defence lawyer in Toronto soon. The sooner that you act, the more that you will learn more details about what you should do.
Consequences of Getting Charged with an Impaired Driving Offence
If you have been arrested, convicted, and found guilty, these are the things that you can expect:
- First-time offenders need to pay $1000 if the THC level is 2 to 5 NG.
- The minimum fine of those who are caught with 5 NG and higher THC levels will be $1000 and may increase further depending on the circumstance.
- Imprisonment may start at 120 days for those who have already been charged with this crime before.
- License suspensions will also be given to repeat offenders. It will be a minimum of 3 days up to 90 days.
- The vehicle may be impounded for up to 1 week.
- The criminal offence will be included in your criminal record.
- The Court will require you to complete a course that will help you become a better driver. The expenses to take the course should be shouldered by you.
- You may need to get an interlock device that you will also pay for yourself.
How is Screening for Cannabis Impairment Conducted?
The police will be able to evaluate during a normal traffic stop. For example, you may think that you are safe even if you have just gotten high. Suddenly, some police officers will go near the area and do the screening. If you fail the screening, then you will be taken into custody. If you pass the screening, you will be let go by the policemen. They will not be able to know your THC levels. If they think that the THC level is going to be high, they may request a blood or urine sample from you.
Driving with NG Level Less than 2
Let us say that you would like to obey the law but you still want to take advantage of the fact that cannabis is legal. You may think that your NG levels that are below 2 will be enough but actually, this will not be allowed. It does not matter what your NG levels are going to be. The important thing to do is to not drive under the influence of cannabis.
Transporting Cannabis Inside a Vehicle
Different restrictions are available when people need to bring cannabis inside their vehicle. These are some of the things that you have to do:
- Make sure that the cannabis is placed in its original packaging.
- The cannabis should be far from the driver.
- If there are some passengers, make sure that the cannabis cannot be reached by the passengers too.
Most people would just place the cannabis inside the trunk because this is the best place where the cannabis will not be accessible.
