Road-safety campaign focuses on cannabis edibles

City police and Manitoba Public Insurance have launched another campaign against drug-impaired driving, this time focusing on the dangers of edible cannabis products.

“Although alcohol impairment continues to be the leading cause of impaired driving offences, cannabis impairment ranks as the second-highest contributor,” the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Tuesday, before a news conference on the campaign.

“This behaviour has the potential to lead to tragic outcomes, compromising the safety of all users of our roadways. We have taken notice and are taking action.”

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An image being placed on billboards as part of a campaign against drug-impaired driving by Winnipeg Police Service and Manitoba Public Insurance.

The campaign will continue through March.

The WPS said it made 243 traffic stops in an enforcement project, done in partnership with MPI and MADD Canada, that launched in mid-January 2024.

Police gave oral fluid tests to 148 drivers, and 64 (43 per cent) tested positive for cannabis. Officers also handed out 36 tickets for matters such as unlawful storage of cannabis in a vehicle and passengers consuming cannabis in a vehicle.

This year’s campaign focuses on educating motorists about the potential dangers of edible cannabis products such as gummies, oils and baked goods.

The sale of edibles has nearly doubled since cannabis was legalized in 2018, data from the Liquor, Gaming & Cannabis Authority of Manitoba show.

The full effects of ingested cannabis can peak up to four hours after consumption and might linger for up to 12 hours, while the peak effects of inhaled cannabis occur within 30 minutes.

Funding for the enforcement-and-education initiative comes from MPI, the provincial government and a federal fund.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca