Pubdate: Sat, 07 Oct 2017
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network
Contact:  http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Yolande Cole
Page: A5

PROPOSED FRAMEWORK ON LEGALIZED POT 'A START,' CALGARY POLICE CHIEF

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Calgary police Chief Roger Chaffin said a proposed framework released
by the province on legalized marijuana this week is "a start" as
police examine their next steps to prepare for recreational cannabis
to be legalized July 1.

"On its first blush, there's not a lot of detail in that yet, but at
least the framework sets up at least an idea of where the province
wants to go around age limits, around consumption levels, growing the
plant, so there's lots of areas there at least we can start to go to
work on," Chaffin said Friday.

"We don't have that much time between now and when legalization occurs
for us to really get ready in terms of understanding if there's going
to be any new legislation, any policy development, training that would
have to occur before that time. So it's nice to see we at least have
that."

Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley unveiled the government's proposed
framework for legal marijuana Wednesday. The province set 18 as the
legal age for consumption and mandated that legal weed be sold only in
stand-alone stores, with no sales of alcohol, tobacco or
pharmaceuticals in the same facility. Chaffin said the complexity for
police on the enforcement side is "what actually happens outside of
the legal realm."

"So when they said there's 30 grams of legal possession that's
allowed, what happens when you exceed that amount? What happens when
you exceed it by say five grams? We have to look at that - the grey
area or the seam that happens between what's legal and then what is
deemed outside of the legal regime. Has that now become a legislative
issue, a provincial matter, a criminal matter?"

Police also face a challenge when it comes to the issue of impairment,
Chaffin said.

"The cost of delivering the current regime of training for drug
recognition experts is probably unsustainable if you have to present
it service wide," he said.

"It's very, very expensive, it's very time consuming, and the
likelihood that we can do that is difficult. So we're looking for some
support from some orders of government about if they intend for us to
do that in the early days, and where are those supports going to come
from to make that happen."