Northern driver faces impaired charges after OPP inspect idling vehicle off Hwy. 11

Smoke from a cannabis oil vaporizer is seen as a driver is behind the wheel of a car in this photo illustration. Canadian police have not seen a spike in cannabis-impaired driving since legalization, but there needs to be more awareness of laws around storing marijuana in vehicles and passengers smoking weed, law enforcement officials say. (File photo/Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

A 41-year-old North Bay man is facing multiple charges after Ontario Provincial Police say he was found impaired by drugs in a parked vehicle this week.

OPP said that officers observed a stationary vehicle in a commercial parking lot off Highway 11 near McKeown Avenue at about 1 p.m. on Dec. 29.

“The vehicle was idling and the driver appeared to be smoking cannabis,” said police in a news release New Year’s Eve.

OPP said that upon speaking with the driver, officers confirmed recent cannabis consumption. The man was taken into custody and transported to the North Bay OPP detachment for further testing.

During a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers located and seized unsealed cannabis and unmarked cigarettes.

As a result, the motorist has been charged with driving with cannabis readily available and possessing unmarked cigarettes along with two impaired driving offences.

In addition to the charge, the man also received a 90-day driver’s licence suspension and the vehicle involved was impounded for seven days.

The accused was released and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 3.

“OPP remains committed to taking alcohol/drug-impaired drivers off our roads through enforcement and public education,” police said.

“Drive sober,” added OPP Const. Kyler Brouwer in a related social media post.