More RCMP and Police officers in Saskatchewan are being trained in the expertise of a Drug Recognition Expert after the announcement that marijuana will be legalized on October, 17th, 2018.

Currently, there are 70 municipal and RCMP officers in the province that have the training. By the end of 2019, there will 110 officers in Saskatchewan that are trained to be a DRE. It's unknown how many officers in Humboldt will receive the training. Specific officers are the personnel that identify that want to take that type of training because the training takes time says, Corporal, Brian Ferguson, the provincial DRE coordinator. 

 "They do two weeks of theory training here in Regina, then they spend a week off of field certifications, so they actually have to do hands-on examinations of 12 drug-impaired subjects," says Ferguson.

The training of officers in the DRE program is not only taking place in Saskatchewan but also in all of Canada. With no technology available that can test if someone is under the influence of marijuana while driving, Corporal Ferguson believes this is the best way to determine if someone is high behind the wheel.

"Because what we're doing is testing to see is this person's ability to operate a motor is impaired and that's what we're looking for."

An Officer with the training of a DRE can respond to an incident within 60 kilometers involving a driver under the influence of marijuana.