About 300 drivers were screened at check stops around the city. Five tested positive for cannabis and zero for alcohol.
Saskatoon drivers appear to have been much more responsible bringing in 2023 than they were on New Year’s Eve in the previous two years, Saskatoon police say.
A Thursday news release said approximately 300 drivers were screened at check stops conducted by RCMP and police from Saskatoon, Corman Park and Dalmeny. Five tested positive for cannabis and zero for alcohol.
A police spokesman said the drivers who tested positive for cannabis were sanctioned with immediate roadside suspensions and vehicle impoundments. None of the drivers screened for alcohol “met the threshold of a provincial or criminal offence,” police said.
That compares favourably to the past two years. Officers last New Year’s Eve laid 13 charges of being under the influence of either cannabis or cocaine, while five were charged with alcohol impairment. Two years ago, police laid 14 impaired driving charges on the celebratory night.
The police spokesman noted that volunteers with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) were once again at the check stops, handing out coffee cards as a thank-you gesture to sober drivers.
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