As Canada prepares for legal pot, the federal government plans to spend as much as $80-million to train 750 police officers to smoke out high drivers. But how sound is the test? A Fifth Estate investigation raises serious questions, showing it can lead to false arrests, is prone to police bias and, according to one scientific expert, is no better at detecting high drivers than “flipping a coin”.
For now, there is no roadside test for marijuana like the breathalyzer test for alcohol. So police have to rely on tests based on observations and judgements – and that can sometimes turn out wrong.
We’ll show you the test, debate the science behind it and introduce you to Canadians who’ve been suffered because of it – putting the test to the test. We’ll also take you to the United States, where the American Civil Liberties Union is taking the police to court, and pose the question: is Canada headed for a similar legal stand off?