TORONTO (NEWS 1130) — Imagine this: recreational marijuana is legal, you had puff from a joint hours ago and now you are about to drive through a check stop; are you going to get a ticket?

It is a scenario that could play out in Canada in the next couple years as the federal government works toward legalization.

A drugs and driving expert panel discussed scenarios that deal with hazy spots of road safety and the legal system during a forum Wednesday evening.

John Bordignon with State Farm Canada tells NEWS 1130, drugged driving is already as big an issue as drunk driving but it could be a year before police have access to another tool like the breathalyzer.

“What that would involve is taking saliva from someone to determine on the road if they are under the influence,” he says.

The government has yet to set out guidelines for an exact legal limit of impairment for legal recreational cannabis use.

“Is there going to be a number? Is it going to be that if you smoke marijuana or take illicit drugs that you can’t drive, period?”

Bordignon says, while the expert panel is not against legalization, there is concern over the ramifications of adults enjoying legal pot at home.

He says you can bet there will be young people who will want to indulge as well.

“Then they go out and drive, which you’re not just only endangering yourself as a driver but your passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, so it’s a very serious issue.”

A State Farm survey claims about 60 per cent of Canadians believe officers are not ready to handle the road safety ramifications of legalizing marijuana.