Benefits of legalization outweigh potential drawbacks, local sergeant says

The numerous benefits of marijuana legalization are much greater than potential drawbacks, said the Sundre RCMP detachment's commander.

“Objectively, there are a lot of advantages that really by far outweigh the disadvantages,” Sgt. Jim Lank said last week when asked to offer his thoughts on the impending demise of cannabis prohibition.

Cost savings, economic benefits

Lank said the end of marijuana prohibition in Canada will represent a substantial cost savings to government, and by extension, the taxpayer. Police resources dedicated to investigating, enforcing and prosecuting cannabis-related offences — from possession to cultivation and trafficking — are significant, he said.

“It's very costly. A lot of our investigations are very long-term and resource intensive.”

There will still be an enforcement need for activities like illegal cultivation and unregulated production and distribution of marijuana. But legalization will “absolutely” free up a lot of resources to direct more attention to curtailing hard drugs, organized and property crime, he said.

“It will allow the police to focus on those areas more.”

Additionally, consumers will no longer be left with lingering doubts about the quality of the product they buy and whether any other dangerous substances might have been laced in, he said.

“They'll be able to purchase a quality product that meets quality control standards.”

Economically speaking, many existing legal production facilities, such as the Cremona area's Aurora Cannabis, are seeking to expand while new ventures are cropping up as well, generating sustainable jobs and stimulating local economies, he said. Legalization of marijuana will also generate revenues through taxes, he added.

Concerns, challenges ahead

The sergeant has his doubts that legalization will lead to increased consumption. He said other countries and states in the U.S. have already enacted legalization or decriminalization without experiencing huge increases as some critics predict.

“Personally, I don't believe we'll see a significant increase,” he said.

“Marijuana is already so prevalent that whoever wants to use it or try is going to.”

However, legalization in no way means encouraging the consumption of cannabis, he stressed, adding the idea is to regulate, legalize as well as control, and if anything promote responsible usage.

Perhaps the main challenge police are preparing for is identifying motorists who are impaired by drug use.

“It's always been illegal to operate a motor vehicle while being impaired by a drug, which would include marijuana.”

However, there to date have been no effective roadside tests that can easily be administered to determine levels of dosage, such as a breath sample for alcohol. But there are companies currently developing new devices that will enable officers to screen drivers for drug impairment, he said.

“It's difficult to detect if a person is under the influence of a drug and what kind just by physical observations.”

So across the country and within the ranks of the RCMP, efforts are underway to ensure a large percentage of front-line officers are trained in the detection of drug impairment to better be equipped to identify and investigate people who are under the influence, he said.

Legalities uncertain

The provincial and federal governments continue to create legislation, and police agencies are waiting to see what the legalized framework will resemble in terms of, for example, retail sales and how police will be expected to keep an eye on things, he said.

“From an enforcement side of things, we will need to wait and see what all of those specifics are.”

Alcohol more dangerous

The veteran police officer with three decades of service under his belt said his extensive experience in law enforcement made clear early on how much more detrimental alcohol and hard drugs are compared to cannabis.

“It didn't take long in my career to see how much more adverse alcohol was on people and society than soft drugs.”

The vast majority of violent crimes police investigate often involve the use of alcohol by the perpetrator, he said.

“There just isn't a comparison. Individuals who are under the influence of alcohol or hard drugs are by far a greater risk to themselves and to others, and have a higher propensity towards violence than someone who is under the influence of marijuana alone,” he said.

“I have to think hard in my 30 years of service when I've had to actually arrest somebody for being violent when they were under the influence of marijuana alone.”

Shifting attitudes

Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since the early 2000s, and the societal shift towards accepting recreational use was an inevitable evolution — one that did not happen overnight, he said.

“We have reached a time in our history in our society when legalization of marijuana really is the logical choice. The reality of it is, regardless of what public opinion is on the whole idea of the use of marijuana — whether it be for recreational or medicinal purposes — it's in our society,” he said.

“The use of marijuana has been around for a long time. I think society overall is changing, and the world is changing, with regards to marijuana use.”

Attitudes depicting marijuana users as lazy, no-good miscreants are also shifting. Many — if not a vast majority — of those who consume cannabis today are otherwise law-abiding citizens who are professionals and good working-class people that are contributing to their communities, he said.

“I think the stigma is gone with marijuana.”

The sergeant candidly confessed sampling marijuana when he was about 16 or 17, but said he never developed a taste for it and has not tried it since then.

“It's not for me, but I have never been judgmental of people that do use it.”

Whether for recreational or medical purposes, the consumption of marijuana reaches all social classes, he said.

“We would be kidding ourselves if we were to believe or think that its use is only in a small sector of society. It's not one group. It's everywhere. It's here to stay — there's no doubt in my mind.”

So with all said and done the pros simply outweigh the cons, he said.

“Overall, from the law enforcement side and just as a citizen of Canada, I fully support the direction that it's going.”