The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, Sept. 12, edition that with weed legalization just more than a month away, the company that makes the only device approved for roadside impairment testing in Canada is seeking to reassure the media that reports of the machine's failings are incorrect. The Globe's Oliver Moore writes that officials from Drager Safety Canada were in Toronto on Tuesday to show off the toaster-sized testing device, which they are currently trying to sell to Canadian police forces, and to tout its reliability. Managing director Rob Clark called it "very simple to use," and cited information that he said put its accuracy at more than 95 per cent.
That depiction is at odds with concerns that the device will not work in cold weather, as well as a peer-reviewed study in Norway that turned up a substantial number of false readings. Several lawyers are already predicting constitutional challenges once the machines are in use on Canadian roads.
The urgency to have a device that can test reliably for cannabis has been prompted by the looming change of legal status for the drug. Ottawa is concerned that legalization could bring an increase in the number of people driving under the influence of cannabis.
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