Police and justice rumbling

[anduin1]

Western provinces expect Ottawa to pay costs associated with marijuana legalization plan - The Globe and Mail

At least three provinces are making it clear they expect Ottawa to foot the bill for costs associated with its plan to legalize marijuana †an issue that will have significant impacts in their jurisdictions.

In Edmonton on Wednesday, Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said there likely be additional financial pressures related to regulation, testing and sharing public information about a legalized regime.

“We certainly are expecting some help with that - in what form that comes is difficult to say without having seen the regulations" she said.

The government is expected to introduce legislation as soon as next week, ahead of annual Weed Day celebrations on April 20, to regulate the use of marijuana.

Manitoba Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said Wednesday the province told a federally appointed task force that legalizing marijuana would create new demands on police.

Ottawa will need to provide provinces and territories with sufficient financial resources to support law enforcement, particularly in the area of training and equipment to deal with impaired drivers, she added.

They will also need to provide sufficient resources for inspectors to ensure compliance with marijuana production and storage regulations, rather than trying to rely on police resources for inspections, Stefanson said in a statement.

Late last month, Saskatchewan also issued a statement saying it is concerned about public safety and significant increases in enforcement costs - a tab it doesnt plan to pay itself.

In an interview Wednesday, Bill Blair, former Toronto police chief and now parliamentary secretary to Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, said the federal government recognizes and respects the role of the provinces in the legalization of marijuana.

“We know that the provinces will have a very significant role, particularly in managing the retail environment and the consumption regulations" Blair said. In order to do that effectively, they are going to need to have resources for the administration and enforcement ... and so thats part of an important discussion that will take place between the federal government and the provinces.

Police are also concerned about training and demands under a legalized regime.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is also urging the federal government to financially support officers seeking to become qualified drug recognition experts, says president Mario Harel.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is already a situation we are facing now but we believe it is going to enhance the problem once it is legalized, he said in an interview. We really need to train more experts.

He said there now are about 600 such experts across the country and the need is estimated at about 2000.

Field certification training is offered in the United States, Harel said, but it should also be available in Canada.

Blair stressed that the federal government is committed to ensuring that police and courts have technology, training and resources to keep roads safe.

“‘â€It is not just a matter of passing legislation; we need to make sure that our police officers have the technology they need to be able to detect and gather evidence for this offence,“ he said.

“We also know they need more training. ... We need a made-in-Canada training program that is accessible to all police services and available in both official languages.â€

Police chiefs also want the Liberal government to exclude personal cultivation from its plans to legalize marijuana, Harel said.

The task force on legalization recommended allowing people to cultivate up to four marijuana plants for personal use but Harel said enforcing such limits can be very difficult.

Harel, who is expected to testify Thursday before the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee, said itâ€s impossible to ensure such pot isnt being cultivated for the black market.

The association says the dangers of grow-ops have long been clear and that allowing home cultivation would make it impossible to control THC levels, pesticide use and perils such as mould.

In the Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said marijuana will remain illegal until a new framework protects young people and prevents criminals from profiting.

With files from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg and Dean Bennett in Edmonton

Boy the cops sure can't get their message straight. Seems they're more worried about funding than public safety. It becomes a bylaw issue and one that doesn't require police intervention. And then what are the taxes they plan to put on marijuana for? I'm sure 5% of the total amount or whatever fair figure could be used for oversight because it's working so well with LPs producing pesticide laden bud. They still think common people to be criminals and wannabe drug dealers when what most people want is to just grow their own and not have the police fuck with them.

 

[FeloniousPunk]

Hey anduin1,

Thanks for the post.

The way the cops and politicians are talking you would think there is no cannabis in this country right now. Cops can only detect inebriation with a breathalyzer? Hog wash. There are a number of roadside tests now being used, I'm pretty sure this training money is a cash grab from the Feds.

 

[Zzzzeta]

I'm suspicious of the whole legalization push. It's not going to benefit small commercial growers, or the folks who keep a couple of plants for their own use. I suspect we'll see large corporations cozying up to the government and making sure the new legislation gives them a nice monopoly over the cannabis trade, and at the same time there'll be a massive law enforcement campaign against independent growers.

 

[FeloniousPunk]

I'm suspicious of the whole legalization push. It's not going to benefit small commercial growers, or the folks who keep a couple of plants for their own use. I suspect we'll see large corporations cozying up to the government and making sure the new legislation gives them a nice monopoly over the cannabis trade, and at the same time there'll be a massive law enforcement campaign against independent growers.

Dana Larsen said the LPs are BILLION dollar industries. That is why they have put it off a year. Lots of friends of the PM and ex cops getting in on the action. Marc Emery has stated as much. I'm just worried the cops are gonna shit on us little girls and guys.

Proportional Representation would put an end to this chicanery. But we know Justin lied about that, and wants to hold onto power.

I am not confident we will be free.

Peace.

 

[Zzzzeta]

Dana Larsen said the LPs are BILLION dollar industries. That is why they have put it off a year. Lots of friends of the PM and ex cops getting in on the action. Marc Emery has stated as much. I'm just worried the cops are gonna shit on us little girls and guys.

Proportional Representation would put an end to this chicanery. But we know Justin lied about that, and wants to hold onto power.

I am not confident we will be free.

Peace.

I remember reading a few years ago that Philip Morris had been buying up large growing spaces in anticipation of legalization. We're most likely going to see the tobacco giants jockeying for control of all those billions of weed dollars, and maybe the larger brewers and distillers as well.