Sarnia-Lambton MP Marilyn Gladu says the federal government is making a mistake by rushing to legalize recreational marijuana use by July.

Gladu, the Conservative health critic, said her party opposes the Liberal government’s Cannabis Act, currently making its way through Parliament.

“The bill is really flawed,” she said.

U.S. states that allow marijuana use “saw a huge increase in impaired drug driving, about 32 per cent in Colorado,” Gladu said.

Public awareness and education campaigns are needed to prevent that from happening but Canada isn’t leaving itself with enough time to get campaigns up and running by July, she said.

Gladu said officials in U.S. states have said their biggest mistake was not putting public education campaigns in place before legalizing marijuana.

“This government is really falling behind,” Gladu said about efforts by the Liberals in Ottawa to create a public education program.

“We have 273 days left to go before they intend to take this arbitrary date and force it on the provinces and municipalities,” Gladu said Friday.

“Really, they haven’t even got the public education campaign on the way,” she said.

Gladu said Health Canada has issued a request for proposals to hire a contractor to create the campaign but she expects it will later this year before that work can even begin.

“And, they’re still rushing ahead to implement on July 1, so that’s a huge concern,” she said.

“It’s going to scare us all,” Patricia Hynes-Coates, president of MADD Canada, said about the coming legal use of marijuana in Canada

“There’s no one who’s going to tell you that we feel we’re 100 per cent ready.”

She spoke about the issue while visiting Sarnia to take part in a MADD vigil.

But, Hynes-Coates said MADD does support proposed changes the government is making to the Criminal Code to help police enforce impaired driving laws, and efforts being made to fund additional police training.

“We don’t want the mess and the carnage that is happening down in the States,” she said.

Some states legalized marijuana use but didn’t give police “the tools to screen properly for impaired driving due to marijuana,” she said.

If Canada does provide those tools before the law changes, “then we know we’ll save lives.” Hynes-Coates said.

“Drug impaired driving is a problem on our roadways now” and will increase, she said.

As well as pushing for police to have the tools they need when the law changes, Hynes-Coates said MADD is asking Canadians to help by having “zero tolerance” when it comes to alcohol and drug use while driving.

“Don’t drive at all if you’re impaired by drugs and or alcohol,” she said.

Gladu said she has heard municipalities, provinces, police agencies and indigenous groups all say, “we will not be ready for July 1.”

Gladu pointed to statistics that drug-related traffic fatalities already outpace alcohol-related deaths.

“It’s a problem, and it’s going to be a worse problem,” she said.

The impact on impaired driving is only one of the concerns Gladu said she and her party have with the government’s move to legalize marijuana.

Other issues include what it will mean for international treaties Canada has signed, and what Gladu sees as a lack of protection for children.

“I just think this is a completely botched attempt, and they’re rushing it,” she said.

pmorden@postmedia.com