Police chief conference tackles officers' cannabis use
The topic of cannabis is high on the agenda at the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Halifax this week.
One of the many plenary sessions planned for the three-day conference was a session on the upcoming legalization of cannabis and its impact on police officers. Officers are no different than anyone else when it comes to cannabis use; they will be allowed to use it when the rules change in October.
"The legalization of cannabis does present some challenges to us, with police officers potentially using the drug," said Martin Bruce, superintendent of the Vancouver Police Department. "We've been tasked to work with our colleagues across the country to come up with workplace policies that respect the law."
Some police officers in Canada have already gone through cannabis training. But much more will be done over the next two months to make sure officers are fully aware of when they shouldn't be using cannabis.
"A big piece of what we are trying to do is to train our officers around the length of time that they can be impaired," said Bruce. "We want to make sure they are well armed with the latest science and accurate information so they can position themselves properly and come to work fit for duty and carry out their duties responsibly."
The sessions at the conference advised officers to show moderation and make smart decisions if and when they decide to smoke pot.
"Coming in October, we will be talking about a social shift in use," said Rebecca Jesseman, the director of policy at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, who presented at the conference, which is taking place at the Halifax Convention Centre.
"Things like going out for a beer with colleagues after work — what is that going to look like when cannabis is on the market?"
On Tuesday, police chiefs will be walked through an online training module for officers that will focus on cannabis use.
"Because it will be an online course, it will be very easy for every police department across the country to access it and then deliver it to their officers," said Mario Harel, the president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the director of the Gatineau Police Service. "They will get to see how it works, the content of it and what the objective is."
