News

1 in 4 drove high on edibles in Ontario, says CAA

Published on December 2, 2022 by oz. staff

Photo: OPP/Instagram

More and more people in Ontario are driving while high on edibles, says the CAA.

A survey by the CAA South Central Ontario found a 10% increase in drivers who admitted driving high on edibles since 2019. One in four people (26%) say they’ve gotten behind the wheel after consuming an edible.

“It’s shocking that we’re seeing this many people who are getting behind the wheel while high,” says Michael Stewart, community relations consultant at CAA SCO.

With about 10 million Ontario drivers, statistically that means about 156,000 of them have driven high on edibles in the last three months.

Stone cold sober to stoned in zero to 60

Stewart says edibles are harder to detect and can take up to two hours for the effects to kick in, which creates a hazard.

People may get behind the wheel sober, he says, only to become high mid-trip.

“Our data shows an alarming trend in the use of edibles and driving. With the growing popularity of cookies, gummies, and chocolates, since legalization, the use of edibles continues to rise and so do people who drive high on edibles.”

The CAA also found that more than half of Ontario drivers (60%) have driven after consuming cannabis—although that could be many hours after.

Of concern, says the CAA, is nearly half admitted they had paired cannabis with alcohol or other drugs and more than half had driven within three hours of consumption.

High price for impaired driving

Getting busted on the road while stoned in Ontario comes with an immediate 90-day licence suspension, a seven-day vehicle impoundment, and a $550 fine.

If convicted in court, drivers will see their licence suspended for at least a year, along with various other mandatory stipulations including an education or treatment program, and the use of an ignition interlock device for at least a year.