TORONTO, Oct. 15, 2019 /CNW/ -- A new survey released by
Abbott (NYSE: ABT), a global healthcare leader, shows Canadians are
growing more concerned over the impact of cannabis on road safety.
These results come one year after recreational marijuana became
legal nationwide with the implementation of Bill C-45.
According to a recent survey of 1,002 Canadian adults conducted
by Atomik Research on behalf of Abbott, almost half of Canadians
(46%) do not believe enough is being done to stop drugged driving
while 43% of respondents do not believe law enforcement has a
reliable way to quickly test a driver at the roadside for being
under the influence of drugs.1
Additional statistics uncovered from the survey, designed to
gauge behaviors and attitudes toward drug-impaired driving and road
safety, include:
- One-third of respondents (33%) personally know someone who has
"driven an automobile soon after taking drugs"
- Nearly one third of Canadians (30%) have heard someone say: "I
drive better when I've smoked marijuana," or similar
- Half of respondents believe that for the majority of DUI
arrests, the driver is under the influence of a single drug and
alcohol
These findings echo similar themes collected by CAA national in
a recent poll showing that more than one in five Canadians (21%)
say they have been a passenger in a vehicle where the driver has
ingested marijuana.2,3
"Canada deserves a great deal
of credit for approving roadside cannabis testing technologies,
which give law enforcement an added tool to identify drug-impaired
drivers," said Erin Holmes, vice
president, Criminal Justice and Technical Writer, Criminal Justice
Programs at Responsibility.org, and subject matter expert on
alcohol and drug-impaired driving. "However, these survey results
affirm that more must be done to educate cannabis consumers about
the profound public safety implications to driving while high,"
said Holmes, who is an alumna of the University of Ottawa.
Tools and Technology to Keep Roads Safe
Roadside drug testing tools are critical to not only help law
enforcement detect drug-impaired drivers but also act as a
deterrent and cause a motorist to think twice before getting behind
the wheel.
Currently, many law enforcement agencies rely on blood and urine
tests to confirm whether a driver has taken drugs. However, blood
sample collection can take hours to collect and analyze so it may
not offer a true snapshot at the time of the incident or traffic
stop.
To help law enforcement detect and deter drug-impaired drivers
at the roadside, Abbott developed SoToxa, a handheld device that
analyzes a subject's oral fluid to determine if they have recently
taken drugs. Approved for use in Canada in July
2019, SoToxa will indicate within minutes whether a driver
has recently consumed marijuana.
"Keeping people safe from drug-impaired drivers is an enormous
responsibility," said Chris
Scoggins, senior vice president, Rapid Diagnostics, Abbott.
"Our aim is to lend our voice and expertise to this public health
imperative and partner with law enforcement, policy experts,
academics, victim advocates, and community leaders to keep the
roadways safe."
ABOUT THE SURVEY
Abbott commissioned unbiased, third-part vendor, Atomik Research
to run an online survey of 1,002 adults in Canada. Data were collected between June 21 and 28, 2019.
ABOUT SOTOXA
SoToxa™, formerly known as the Alere DDS®2 Mobile Test System,
is a portable system designed for rapid screening and detection of
drugs in oral fluid. SoToxa is able to generate test results in
minutes, indicating the presence of amphetamine, benzodiazepines,
cannabis (THC), cocaine, methamphetamine, and opiates. In
Canada, SoToxa is approved for
roadside detection of THC.
In addition, the technology is lightweight, easy to use and
built for the rugged and unpredictable nature of a police officer's
real-life work environment. Because SoToxa uses oral fluid to
screen for the active presence of the parent drug – not the drug's
metabolite – it only registers recent usage and will not indicate
historical drug usage.
Today, the device is used in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany, where it's also approved to test for
cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamines and
benzodiazepines.
ABOUT ABBOTT
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more
fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing
technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading
businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices,
nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 103,000 colleagues
serve people in more than 160 countries.
ABOUT ABBOTT IN CANADA
Abbott has been present in Canada since 1931 when we established our
first business in Old Montreal. Since then, we've been dedicated to
helping people live healthier lives through a diverse range of
science-based nutritional products, diagnostic tools, and vascular
devices.
With nearly 1,500 employees today at our headquarters in
Montreal, our Point of Care plant
in Ottawa, our Diabetes Care
office in Mississauga, and a
lactulose manufacturing plant in Victoriaville, Abbott in Canada reflects our dedication to
manufacturing the highest-quality products and finding lasting
solutions to the unique health challenges facing the country.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and
@AbbottGlobal.
1 Abbott survey, June
2019
2 CAA National polling, December
2018
3 Abbott's survey is not affiliated with surveys and
research conducted by CAA
SOURCE Abbott