Coquitlam RCMP officers will have to book some significant vacation time if they want to consume marijuana while off duty.
But Port Moody Police Department is taking a different approach.
According to an RCMP policy change that took effect Wednesday, Mounties in “safety-sensitive” positions — all regular members — must refrain from using cannabis within 28 days of a shift.
The RCMP said the rules, which will affect all 18,000 officers in 700 communities across the country, including Coquitlam, are based on current scientific information around the effects of marijuana consumption.
“Science shows that cannabis can intoxicate beyond initial consumption and that there are no established safe limits or data on how it affects performance,” the RCMP states in the revised workplace substance use policy. “Without established scientific information about cannabis impairment, the RCMP policy is taking a careful approach at this time, to ensure workplace and public safety is maintained at all times.”
The policy also notes that employees will not be subject to random drug testing to ensure compliance.
Meanwhile, the Port Moody Police Department is taking a different approach to how it will handle members’ off-duty cannabis use. The municipal force will adhere to its current policy around alcohol use, which permits consumption but ensures members are fit for duty before starting their shift, Const. Jason Maschke told The Tri-City News.
“When you come to work, whether it be alcohol or drugs, you better be fit for duty with none of that in your system,” he said.
As legal recreational cannabis became the law of the land Wednesday, police forces across the country are grappling with how to deal with the new regulations. For example, Vancouver and Ottawa, both municipal forces, will follow similar rules to Port Moody’s in allowing marijuana use provided officers are fit for duty when it is time to start work.
Meanwhile, Calgary’s city force is taking an even stricter approach to off-duty cannabis use, prohibiting all consumption of marijuana for its members.
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