The Chief of the Saint John Police Force is says recently opened medical marijuana dispensaries in the region aren’t at the top of the force’s priority list right now.
Two dispensaries have opened recently in Saint John, with another scheduled to open in Rothesay. Other operations have opened in other New Brunswick cities as well.
Chief John Bates says there are bigger mountains for the force to be climbing right now.
“I’ve said these marijuana dispensaries, while they are on our radar screen, are really just a pebble in our shoe right now,” Bates said.
In the eyes of the law, they are operating illegally but they have yet to be shut down.
“We’re really not on terre ferme, if you will, with regard to the marijuana question here in the country,” Bates said.
New federal legislation regarding marijuana use is expected in the spring. Bates says at this point in time they want to be on the same page on a provincial level.
“We have been consulting with our law enforcement partners across the province with the Crown attorney’s office, both locally and provincially,” Bates said. “Those discussions are ongoing.”
It’s a complicated situation for police, one that some say puts them in limbo. Mary Ann Campbell heads the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies at University of New Brunswick in Saint John.
“Do we proceed in prosecuting and upholding the law as it stands or do we let things slide until that legislation is in and we understand what will and won’t be allowed at that point?” Campbell said.
In Saint John, Bates says he has fielded calls on the dispensaries, but not to the degree people might think.
“The number of questions that I fielded with regard to those don’t even come near the questions I have to deal with regard to say vagrancy or pan handling in the downtown core or traffic issues across the city,” he said.
In the end, the Chief says there are bigger mountains for the police force to climb right now.
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