Police Officers In Canada Will Only Be Able To Smoke Marijuana In These Four Cities

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada is only days away.

But still the federal, provincial, and municipal governments are scrambling to prepare a new legal code that will immediately come into force on October 17th.

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TL;DR Police officers will so far only be able to consume marijuana in Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, and Vancouver.

Perhaps most concerning to Canadian cannabis enthusiasts is the pathwork of regulations that is emerging across the country.

Because the federal Cannabis Act provides only a baseline from which the provincial governments can construct their own legal frameworks, marijuana laws vary dramatically from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

The provinces differ in their punishments for driving high, their rules for transporting cannabis, their distribution methods, and their attitude toward public consumption.

To make matters even more difficult, municipalities may also set their own restrictions on cannabis.

Recently, that fact became dramatically apparent as cities across Canada began to release their guidelines for public servants looking to partake in the newly-legal drug.

Local officials are particularly concerned about cannabis consumption among members of law enforcement agencies.

In the opinion of many, restrictions on cannabis consumption for police officers should be no different than those for alcohol: forbidden to ingest on or before duty, but allowed after hours, on weekends, and during vacations.

For others, fear and stigma still colour the perception of marijuana.

The debate is sure to continue across the country. Not all municipalities have finalized their cannabis rules for police officers and public servants.

But in the meantime, according to High Times, police officers in Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, and Vancouver can light up in their spare time as long as they don’t show up to work high.

Toronto and Halifax have apparently not yet made a decision on the matter.

Calgary is the only major city to have completely banned officers from using marijuana.

Stay tuned for more information about marijuana laws in your area.