Drugs Are Bad, Mmmkay?

But don't take my word for it:

Taylor Ashley Kennedy’s THC-blood concentration was 13.7 nanograms per millilitre when she hit and killed nine-year-old Baeleigh Emily Maurice in a Saskatoon crosswalk, according to lab reports recently obtained by the Star Phoenix.

While the legal driving limit (for a hybrid offence under the Criminal Code of Canada) of THC is 5 ng/mL, the report outlined the challenge in determining the relationship between THC blood concentration and the drug’s effect.

“The specific effects experienced by an individual will depend on the dose of THC consumed, the route of administration, and the tolerance of the individual to the drug,” Gillian Sayer, a forensic specialist with the RCMP’s toxicology services, wrote in her report.

(Sidebar: yet alcohol use is dealt with more harshly. Hhmm ...)

She wrote that recent THC use can increase the likelihood of a collision because of its effect on things like reaction time, risk assessment, information processing and short-term memory.

“A concentration of 13.7 ng/mL of THC in blood has been associated with the recent use of THC by any type of cannabis user (infrequent, occasional or frequent), but has also been associated with residual blood THC in some frequent heavy users,” the report states.

"On Sept. 9, 2021, Kennedy struck Maurice — who was on her scooter — in a crosswalk at the intersection of 33rd Street and Avenue G around 9 a.m.

(Sidebar: wait for it.)

Kennedy remained at the scene, telling officers that she had used cannabis and magic mushrooms the previous day. A sample of her blood was taken after she tested positive for THC — the main psychoactive component of cannabis — on an oral fluid test.

Six months passed before Kennedy was charged with driving with a blood-THC level higher than the legal limit causing death — the first time the charge was laid in Saskatchewan after the Criminal Code was amended in 2018.

RCMP attributed the delayed charge to a pandemic-related backlog at the national forensic testing lab.

 

Because of course.

When does this pathetic creature get to walk?