A Calgary councillor is worried the push to legalize recreational marijuana is happening too quickly for provinces and municipalities to react.
Jim Stevenson, a member of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, said Wednesday he is particularly concerned with enforcement because there isn’t an accurate test to measure marijuana impairment.
“As far as roadside tests or workplace safety, we don’t have the information or the technology to be able to enforce it,” Stevenson said. “With alcohol, we’ve got a .08 that everybody uses, but we don’t have anything to say what the THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) levels would be that causes a person to be impaired.”
“It’s really a concern that we have all this to put together in 18 months, and we’re not prepared to do it.”
He made the comments while speaking with the media following a Community and Protective Services committee meeting.
Calgary Police Chief Roger Chaffin agreed with Stevenson.
“There’s no scientific understanding yet of what levels of THC present creates that psycho-motor dysfunction to the point where you’re criminally liable for the operating of a motor vehicle.”
He added there are still many questions about how the new legislation will be enforced.
The federal government plans to have its marijuana legislation in place by July of 2018.
Under the proposed legislation, Ottawa is responsible for the production or growing of marijuana, while distribution, retail and enforcement will be the responsibility of cities and the provinces.
Stevenson said he hopes there are meetings of all levels of government down the road.
“There should be a co-ordinated effort with the timeline being so short to bring the 10 provinces and the three territories together in some way so that not everybody is out trying to invent the same wheel.”