Pubdate: Thu, 20 Apr 2017
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2017 The Edmonton Journal
Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Jonny Wakefield
Page: A3

USUAL CROWD EXPECTED AT 4/20 MARIJUANA EVENT

Edmonton's police chief says he doesn't expect a larger than usual
4/20 gathering Thursday as the city prepares for legal marijuana.

"I imagine we'll get a few people there, but nothing that's really on
the radar we're concerned about," Chief Rod Knecht said Wednesday.

The annual smoke-up at the Alberta legislature could be one of the
last under existing marijuana laws, as the Trudeau government prepares
to legalize the drug.

The Liberals introduced bills this month to legalize and regulate
marijuana by July 2018.

Under the new law, adults will be able to possess, grow and buy
limited amounts of cannabis from provincially authorized retailers or
federally licensed producers.

For the Edmonton Police Service, plenty of question marks still hang
over legalization.

"We're concerned about the driving aspects. We've got a long ways to
go in terms of deciding what level of THC makes you legally impaired,"
he said.

One challenge is that there's no single system for roadside
tests.

"That's a huge concern for us," Knecht said.

It's also not clear how people in high-risk jobs like policing can be
monitored for marijuana intoxication. Knecht said marijuana
enforcement is not a high priority for the force, and it's rare for
anyone to be changed with marijuana possession. He's also on record
supporting safe injection sites for hard drugs.

It was a different story when he began policing 40 years
ago.

"When I first became a police officer, marijuana was a very high
priority," said Knecht, a 34-year RCMP veteran when he became EPS
chief in 2011.

"We put people in jail for significant periods of time, certainly for
trafficking marijuana, even for small amounts ... There's been a
significant transition over the years, and I think police have
responded to that."

Marijuana activists say that with legalization pending, this year's
4/20 events will be geared more toward celebration than civil
disobedience.
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