Police chiefs alarmed by the legalization of cannabis

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Sunday, 16 July 2017 14:26

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Sunday, 16 July 2017 14:26

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The legalization of cannabis worry the police, especially in regards to driving with ability impaired by drugs.

In congress assembled in Montreal until Wednesday, the leaders of the country’s police want to find solutions to this problem before the entry into force of this act, to be held in July 2018.

The forces of order are already faced with numerous instances where motorists take the wheel after having consumed marijuana, and they believe that this phenomenon will become more frequent when this drug will become legal.

“One of the great challenges we face, it is the training of our police officers, both to prepare for the new legislation in general, but particularly to train drug recognition experts who will be able to demonstrate to the courts that people have the faculties impaired by a drug,” explains Mario Harel, president of the canadian Association of chiefs of police (CACP) and director of the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau.

This training, which for a long time did the United States, costs $ 20,000 per police officer, supports the chairman of the CCPA. “Thanks to the leadership of our École nationale de police du Québec, we managed to allow a course in Quebec,” he said. So our police officers can be trained in Quebec in French, but it will take some time.”

Canada already has 600 of these experts, but the directors of police services estimate that they will need 2000 by next year. A task “impossible”, according to Mr. Harel.

“Form 1400 experts in Canada in a year, it is impossible. You know it’s going to take some time, ” he said. Therefore it will be necessary to accelerate the pace.”

In addition to training, police officers require additional financial resources to implement these new measures.

“There are costs, of course,” says the director of the SPVG. We ask that the authorities help us in the training of police officers and in the purchases of devices. When we look at a small mouth to test her for alcohol, it is 10 cents per test, while it is $ 40 per test to a device for detection of drugs.”