While many have concerns about legalized marijuana, alcohol is still the biggest problem among impaired drivers.

“The reality is, drug is on the low side versus alcohol, which is on the high side,” said Toronto Police Const. Clint Stibbe.

Still, Toronto cops will soon have beefed up enforcement powers to deal with drug-impaired drivers.

By this fall, police across Ontario will be able to penalize drug-impaired drivers in the same way they do with drunk drivers.

Transportation ministry spokesman Bob Nichols said new legislation is needed to fill a gap.

“Currently, under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, the police cannot immediately remove drivers from the road who they reasonably believe are impaired by drugs, including — but not limited to — marijuana,” he wrote in an e-mail.

Essentially the following drunk driving sanctions will extend to drug-impaired drivers:

•Escalating short-term licence suspensions of three, seven, and 30 days.

•The imposition of a 90-day licence suspension — along with impounding a vehicle for seven days — following testing by an officer.

The province’s legislative changes don’t set legal limits for THC — the active ingrediant in marijuana — in a person’s blood stream. Ottawa will have to change the Criminal Code if it wants police to use roadside screening devices to detect stoned motorists, added Nichols.

MADD Canada wants to see the government introduce saliva-based roadside testing for pot.

“I hope that comes along long before they legalize,” said CEO Andrew Murie.

He has more faith in saliva-based testing than blood tests, which are done in the U.S.

“It tests recent use of drugs,” he noted. “It doesn’t pick up any metabolites.”

A recent AAA study in the U.S. showed legal limits were useless for marijuana and impaired driving enforcement.

But Murie said that study, based on a system that uses blood tests in the U.S., doesn’t apply north of the border, where he expects saliva-based testing introduced.

“In the U.S. system, no one is using saliva. I actually think they’re behind the times,” he said.

The other thing Canada needs to do is set legal limits for different drugs, Murie added.

“It’s like Parliament saying, if you’re driving above this level, you’ve committed a crime.”

The province’s transportation ministry has funded a study which will examine the issue of setting legal limits for THC, Nichols noted.

— With files from The Washington Post