More people are driving high, Timmins police warn
With 2022 coming to a close, Timmins police are taking a look at its impaired driving statistics for the year and say more and more people are being charged with driving while high.
Over the last four years, impaired driving charges have gone up with 2021 being one of the worst, when 68 people were charged. So far this year, that number sits at 58 people with a few weeks still to go.
With the legalization of cannabis, police are encountering a significant number of people who've consumed pot and got behind the wheel.
They're also getting a lot more calls from people who find drivers passed out in their vehicles after taking opiates.
“Almost half the situations where we arrest and charge somebody with impaired driving is due to the consumption of a substance other than alcohol,” said police spokesperson Marc Depatie.
“So in a good number of those cases, the person is under the influence of alcohol and (another) substance.”
Const. Chris Gauthier said the other substance is often an opioid.
“It’s not just cannabis,” Gauthier said.
“There’s methamphetamines, there’s opiates, there’s also prescribed medications that people aren’t aware of that it does affect your ability to operate a vehicle.”
Officials said impaired driving is the leading cause of death in Canada among men between the ages of 18 and 24.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Courteney Cox says her partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in therapy
Courteney Cox's longtime partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in a therapy session.