Public Safety Canada in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) will initiate a pilot project to test how well officers are able to use certain roadside drug testing devices on motorists under different weather conditions.

The devices, known as oral fluid screening devices, will be used to test saliva to identify the presence of certain drugs, including cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine and opioids.

The results will help police services to counter drug-impaired driving in Canada.

"The project will ensure additional information on the usefulness of these tools is available to enforcement."

Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale said: “Testing these new drug screening devices is an important step in our ongoing effort to enhance the enforcement of drug-impaired driving laws, reduce drug-impaired driving, and improve the safety and security of all Canadians.”

Roadside drug testing is one of the tools that can help law enforcement officers evaluate impaired drivers and get them off the road.

CCMTA Board Chair Steve Louttit said: “Legalisation of cannabis and its impact on road safety is a key priority of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA).

"The project will ensure additional information on the usefulness of these tools is available to enforcement.”

The initiative was launched in order to increase the road safety by reducing drug-impaired driving is important to the Government of Canada.

For this new initiative, certain police services across Canada will be trained in the use of two types of drug screening devices, and will use them in operational settings with drivers and passengers who volunteer to anonymously provide a sample.