Skip to content

Not much has changed since cannabis legalized, says local RCMP

Despite the legalization of cannabis on Oct. 17, the Bonnyville RCMP has seen little change in cannabis-related offences.
GR-20180403-BNV0801-180409997-AR
pierre

Despite the legalization of cannabis on Oct. 17, the Bonnyville RCMP has seen little change in cannabis-related offences.


Just days after marijuana became legal in Canada, local RCMP charged their first resident with impaired by cannabis while in operation of a motor vehicle.


“I personally thought it would take us longer to find our first one. I thought we would see people smoking on the roads and on the streets, but that never happened. I honestly think it’s been more of a status-quo,” said Cpl. Pedro Rodrigues.


Cst. Max Cyr agreed, “I wouldn’t think there are more users now that it’s legal, I just think they’re more open about it... They have a way to purchase it legally, but I think those that were using before are still using and whoever wasn’t using before, a few of them will try it and maybe start, but for the most part, if they weren’t using before, they’re not using (now).”


Across the region, detachments have been enforcing impaired driving laws, including local officers who have had one case, while the Cold Lake RCMP has charged one driver with impaired operation and handed out one ticket for a roadside suspension. The RCMP in St. Paul have had three impaired drug files and one roadside suspension so far.


“I know generally speaking, we haven’t seen as many drug impaired files as of late, but I think that’s just because we’re getting more awareness and we need a lot more training,” Rodrigues noted.


He expects to see a rise in the number of impaired charges once the legislation changes on Dec. 18.


As of that date, officers will be allowed to conduct mandatory roadside screening.


“You should see a lot more reports of impaired driving, and then you’ll probably see a lot more 24-hour suspensions. Those numbers will likely go way up until people realize that it’s not something they’re going to be able to get away with as easily. Then, you’ll probably see the convictions and investigations go down, maybe a couple of months later. But only time will tell,” detailed Rodrigues.


Whether the lack of local cannabis retail establishments is impacting the number of incidents the RCMP are seeing has yet to be determined.


Rodrigues said it could be a factor, but also accredits the varying regulations across the province.


“I also think that because the bylaws are different in each jurisdiction, there is so much confusion about what constitutes legal marijuana that they might not be taking any chances just yet,” he said, adding once stores open in town residents could start to see users smoking it more openly.


Aside from a student taking pot brownies to school, Bonnyville police haven’t had many incidents involving edibles.


“That was the only incident that I’m aware of that’s been reported. I personally thought that we would see a higher instance of people playing pranks if you will, of handing out marijuana at Halloween,” Rodrigues expressed. “That never happened. To our knowledge, no one reported anything, which was good.”


Rodrigues is concerned once edibles are legalized, there will be an increase in episodes involving youth.


He said, “My worry is when you have a drug that starts to look more like candy, with each passing day, I think the chance of that getting into the hands of children is higher and higher.”


Although they haven’t seen a jump in the number of people driving while under the influence of marijuana, Cyr explained how RCMP detect if the drug is in a person’s system.


Smell isn’t the only thing that gives a cannabis-influenced driver away.


According to Cyr, the eyes are the key.


“When you shine a light in their eyes, the pupil will constrict normally, like a sober person, but then it will dilate in a rebound way,” he explained. “That’s unique to cannabis.”


There are factors that can’t be avoided, such as conversion.


When someone is high on cannabis, their eyes can’t converge. Instead, one will dart in a different direction, explained Cyr.


Another test is looking for nystagmus.


“That’s the involuntary jerking of the eyes,” Cyr detailed. “We’re looking for when the eye follows a stimulus and it’s at maximum deviation, if there’s alcohol in the body, it will jerk. Cannabis won’t do that.”


High blood pressure and heart rate are some of the other signs.


Once an officer has determined if someone is impaired, they will ask them to conduct a series of multitasking exercises.


For someone sober, these tasks should be easy, Cyr said.


“A normal, sober person will be able to go through those tests fairly easily. Even though you’re dividing your attention, they’re still fairly simple tasks that you can do,” he expressed. “When you’re brain is disturbed by a drug or alcohol, it becomes more complicated and people aren’t able to do that. If you’re not able to multitask and divide your attention on multiple things, you shouldn’t be driving, because driving requires you to do that.”


Cyr added, when edibles come into the picture, it will make it even more difficult to detect the presence of cannabis.


“It will be harder to detect for sure, and we’re going to have to pay more attention to the other signs.”


Regardless of whether someone is impaired by drugs or alcohol, Cyr stressed it’s never a good idea to drive under the influence.


“It impairs your ability to operate a vehicle just as much as alcohol or any other drug,” he noted. “They interfere with the way your brain processes information and transfers it to the body. It’s going to interfere with your ability to multitask.”

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks