Ford Canada sought to warn drivers about the effects of smoking marijuana while driving, showing off a so-called “stoned suit” at the Vancouver Auto Show.
The “stoned suit,” as its name implies, simulates the effects of driving while stoned, and its unveiling comes at a time when Vancouver is preparing to license marijuana dispensaries, while Canada’s government is also mulling the legalization of the drug.
Speaking at the Vancouver Auto Show, Sgt. Randy Fincham of the Vancouver Police Department explained that law enforcement officers see one driver impaired by drugs for every three drivers impaired by alcohol. “It’s a misconception for people to think that they can consume marijuana, still get behind the wheel of a car and do it safely,” he said.
Ford Canada exec Matt Drennan-Scace added to this, saying that this trend is especially noticeable with younger drivers, especially teenagers.
“We are seeing drugged-driving as an issue and that’s part of why we developed this suit so that we can get out to teens and other new drivers and just say, ‘Hey, this not the way you want to get behind the wheel,’” Drennan-Scace explained.
Although it already comes with weights for the arms and legs that simulate how people feel after smoking a joint (or more than a joint), there’s more to the suit than just that. The “stoned suit” also tries warning drivers about the effects of other drugs. It comes with glasses with deliberately blurry lenses, as well as lights designed to mimic the effects of designer drugs such as ecstasy. In addition, there’s a vibrating glove that impersonates what a driver goes through when they’re suffering from heroin withdrawal.
Not surprisingly, the suit has not gone down well with marijuana activists, including Jodie Emery, who cited a report from the U.S. government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a statement. “The more carefully controlled studies … generally show reduced risk estimates or no risk associated with marijuana,” reads the cited NHTSA literature from 2015 in brief.