When the calendar flips to Wednesday, recreational cannabis use will be allowed for everyone including Chatham-Kent police, for now.
The legalization of marijuana will become official in Canada at 12 a.m. on Wednesday, and many municipalities are preparing for the change and debating how to deal with its use by police officers. While Toronto plans to enforce a rule that its officers can't smoke pot 28 days before a shift, Chatham-Kent Police Chief Gary Conn said they won't be that strict. However, he added officers won't be able to show up for work high.
"I'm of the opinion that our members are highly trained and professional," Conn said. "I have confidence our members will be responsible and show up for work fit for duty as they have had to when they chose to consume alcohol."
Conn added marijuana will fall under the same police rules as alcohol for now. He said they are still looking at options like Toronto's of prohibiting use for a certain amount of days before a shift, but nothing has been set in stone yet.
"We are currently looking to amend those procedures to be more consistent with the municipality, which will be putting out their new policies and procedures," Conn said. "We're also taking a look around the province as to what other police agencies are doing and actually the military and what they've done towards recreational use for their members."
Conn said he's working with the police association to draft some verbiage, which will be fair and acceptable to all parties involved.
The OPP is taking a similar approach to Chatham-Kent in not being as strict as Toronto.
In a news release, the OPP said all members must report to work "fit for duty." That is defined as being in a physical, mental, and emotional state which allows them to perform duties competently and safely.
"Our policy remains - all members must report to work fit for duty. The health and well-being of all our members enables the OPP to continuously provide effective support to our communities," OPP Commissioner Vince Hawkes said.