The legalization of recreational marijuana was in mind as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) held its 2018 white cross dedication Saturday.
The kickoff to MADD's Project Red Ribbon, which runs from November 1 to January 1, 2019, saw 270 crosses erected on the front lawn at Temple Baptist Church on Quinn Drive.
The crosses and ribbons represent the lives that will be lost across Canada during the holiday season due to impaired driving.
MADD Sarnia-Lambton President Charmaine Murray said they're concerned impaired driving deaths will increase as a result of the legalization of pot.
"The problem is we don't know what really to prepare for," said Murray. "We know that it's going to become more severe with the legalization of it. I fear that people who haven't done it before, because they think of it as a drug, now think that it can't be that bad because they've made it legal."
Murray said 270 people across Canada dying between November 1 and January 2 is a huge number before you factor in marijuana.
She said there have already been deaths since it became legal on October 17.
MADD Canada National President Patricia Hynes-Coates attended the dedication to present the local chapter's annual policing awards, recognizing outstanding commitment to the reduction of impaired driving in the last year.
