Waterloo Regional Police Services

Press Release.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For contact: Hannah Charlton

Cell: 519-501-9586

Police to train more drug

recognition officers before marijuana
legalized
Police officers are being trained in a special programme to recognize the signs of users behaviours

and what to watch for when someone needs help.

Kitchener Waterloo, ONT The Waterloo Regional Police has announced a special training program
that will help officers understand the signs and different behaviours of users. As the day when
marijuana will be legalized in Canada gets closer in 2018, different areas of the public goes more
concern on how the drugs will stay out of minors hands and the concern for drug users will
increase.
The WRPS have created a special unit called Drug Recognition Evaluators DRE officers who are
trained to test drivers for drug impairment. If a driver fails a roadside test, they will be brought in to
the station to a DRE officer who will further test them. If they are found with enough evidence of
drug impairment, they will be charged with impaired driving. This program started back in 2012,
however the number of drug impaired drivers were lower than the number in 2016. Since the
Parliament announcement of the legalization of marijuana that number has increased. The comfort
level of the officers doing the testing has certainly improved stated Staff Sargent Mike Hinsperger
of the WRPS.
The WRPSs main goal is not on the number of overdoses from marijuana (its rare to OD on
marijuana) but the people that decide to drive while under the influence.