Pubdate: Mon, 17 Oct 2016
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Jacquie Miller
Page: A1

GATINEAU POT SMOKERS FACE SKY-HIGH CHANCE OF CHARGES

Pot smokers in Gatineau are more likely to be charged for possession
of marijuana than in virtually any other major city in the country.

Only Sherbrooke, Que., had a slightly higher rate of pot possession
charges last year, according to data collected by Postmedia as part of
a project examining Canada's move to legalize recreational marijuana.
The federal government has promised to introduce legislation in the
spring. In the meantime, pot laws remain in force, although how they
are applied varies dramatically across the country.

In Gatineau, the rate of marijuana possession charges was 153.42 for
every 100,000 people in 2015. Gatineau was in second place after
Sherbrooke, which had a rate of 153.71.

Saskatoon and Kelowna, B.C., came in third and fourth place,
respectively, in the comparison of 33 major Canadian cities.

Once the search is widened to include smaller towns and cities in
Canada, however, Gatineau doesn't even make the top 20.

The highest rate last year among the 1,132 municipalities analyzed by
Postmedia was Waskesiu, in northern Saskatchewan lake country at
Prince Albert National Park.

The area had a whopping possession charge rate of 1,903.81. That
sounds high, but since the population is tiny, it represents charges
against only 19 people, a member of the town council told the
Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

The Alberta ski towns of Lake Louise and Jasper, where RCMP ski patrol
teams help keep pot smokers off the slopes, came second and third.

They had dominated the category until last year.

The major city in which pot smokers were least likely to be charged
with possession last year? Kingston, which had a rate of 13.55 charges
for every 100,000 people.

Ottawa ranked in the middle, with a possession charge rate of
47.42.

Why Gatineau rates so high in pot-possession charges among large
cities is unclear.

Are there more cannabis lovers in that municipality, or are police
more likely to be on the prowl looking for them?

The data indicates that police in Gatineau instigate a relatively high
number of investigations for marijuana possession.

In 2015, for instance, there were 220.36 investigations of marijuana
possession in Gatineau for every 100,000 people.

That was the second-highest of all major cities in Canada, after
Kelowna at 290.27. Vancouver came third, with a rate of 220.16.

But as is common across Canada, many people investigated for
possession of pot don't end up going to court. Many are simply let go
with a warning.

The federal government has said one of its major reasons for
legalizing marijuana is to stop the flood of people convicted of
possessing small amounts from ending up with criminal records.

However, the government has also rejected calls to decriminalize
simple possession of marijuana while Canadians wait for it to become
legal.

In both Ottawa and Gatineau, people caught with marijuana face pretty
even odds of whether they'll have to make a trip to the courthouse.

In Ottawa, for instance, police investigated 85.39 incidents per
100,000 involving marijuana possession last year, but the rate of
charges for marijuana possession was only 47.42.

Police have wide discretion. In Ottawa, police do not usually charge
people who have no criminal record for simple possession of marijuana
unless there are extenuating circumstances, Insp. Michael Laviolette
said.

"The community doesn't want that from us.

"If a guy is walking down Elgin Street smoking a joint, we're not
going to be taking him down and arresting him. We may intervene, and
we may take it from him and destroy it, but we're not giving some kid
a criminal record for smoking a joint.

"That's why we're having all these discussions (about legalization) in
the first place.

"If they were arrested for something else, if there is violence
involved, if the person has a criminal record and is breaching ( bail)
conditions, we may consider adding on that extra charge of
possession."

And even among those who are charged, some are diverted from the
justice system and ordered to do community service or make a
contribution to charity.

More than 27,000 people were charged with cannabis-related crimes in
Canada last year, down down slightly from 2014.
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