Police in Ontario will be able to suspend the licenses of drug-impaired drivers with the same penalties faced by drunk drivers, starting today.
Drivers impaired by drugs will face a 180-dollar fine, and a 3-day license suspension for the first occurrence... 7 days for the second occurrence, and 30 days for any subsequent offenses.
Further testing of bodily fluids could lead to a 90-day license suspension and drivers having their vehicle impounded for a week.
Other penalties could include mandatory education or treatment programs or an ignition interlock.
Drivers could still be charged criminally with impaired driving, but Ontario is implementing these new rules to give police more tools to immediately get impaired drivers off the roads.
Criminal convictions for impaired driving come with sentences of up to five years.