Police prep for pot despite no screening device, no training, no law

The federal government may have been told it will be "impossible" for police forces to be ready for the legalization of marijuana next summer, but Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin says officers won't have a choice.

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Larkin, who is also president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, met with other chiefs this week in Kingston to discuss a number of topics, including marijuana becoming legal July 1, 2018.

He told The Morning Edition's host Craig Norris thetop concerns are road safety and training police officers in the new legislation laws that are still not finalized.

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"There's a lot of work to be done," Larkin said. "We're nine months out here, and we don't have an approved screening device, we don't have an approved, accredited training program in Ontario, and it's starting to concern us as we look towards the July 1 deadline."

'Impossible' to be ready

Rick Barnum, deputy commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, told MPs earlier this month that if legislation is ready in July 2018, "policing will not be ready to go Aug. 1. It's impossible."

Mike Serr, co-chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police drug advisory committee, has asked the government for more time to allow police forces to train and prepare.

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But Larkin said the federal government has given no indication it's willing to budge on the date.

"They've been very clear to us that it is going to happen on July 1, so we have to work towards that," Larkin said.

"We're heading towards that as the finish line and we're going to have to work towards that. There's no other way around that."

Law still many moving pieces

Some critics have said it should be easier for police once marijuana is legal, because if it is legal, then police won't have to arrest people for possessing it.

"Locally, we have not put a lot emphasisand police services across Ontario have not put a lot of emphasis on simple possession," Larkin agreed.

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But what is needed now is training on the new laws. More than 20,000 officers in Ontario800 in Waterloo region will need training because therules will change, includingwhere people can smoke, how much cannabis they can consume before driving and how much they can carry. As well, computer systems will need to be updated with the new laws.

All of this will take time, money and resources, Larkin said.

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Currently the legislation is a lot of moving pieces and they're treating it like a project in progress. Larkinsaid thatuntil some parts are finalized, police will have to wait.