When it comes to the legalization of marijuana in Canada, Chatham-Kent Police are keeping the public’s safety top of mind.
Chief Gary Conn says the legislation is still evolving.
“Basically what we have in place today is the original Cannabis Act 2017. Bill 36 had some of those amendments in regard to expanding the usage of it in some certain public areas. You can’t smoke it in any public place at this point in time, except a private residence,” explains Conn.
In terms of enforcement, Conn says all officers have received training through the Canadian Police Knowledge Network and the Ontario Police College.
“Certainly from an enforcement and safety perspective, all of our officers have received online training,” says Conn.
As well, the number of standard field sobriety testers on the force has more than tripled in recent months.
“We originally had around eight – we’ve more than tripled that number. We now have 26 officers who are qualified Standard Field Sobriety Testers,” Conn says.
