Guelph police prepare for cannabis legalization in October

Guelph’s police chief says, for the most part, they are ready for the legalization of cannabis on Oct. 17.

But Chief Jeff DeRuyter says a lot of work still needs to be done ahead of that date, especially around road safety and enforcing the new laws coming into effect.

In a phone interview on Thursday, DeRuyter said officers still don’t have a crucial tool to enforce those laws.

“We’re still waiting for roadside equipment for marijuana and that still has not been approved,” he said. “It’s something obviously that’s important as we want to maintain road safety.”

When those screening devices will be made available is still up in the air as they still need approval by the federal government.

But DeRuyter said more Guelph police officers have been trained on standard field sobriety testing, but he would like to see more officers undergo specialized training as drug recognition experts.

“That has been more challenging in terms of increasing the number of those officers that are trained due to the fact that they are trained in the states,” DeRuyter explained. “So that’s something where over time, hopefully, we’ll increase.”

DeRuyter said there are still a lot of questions about their operational procedures, but despite the new laws coming into effect, driving while impaired by drugs is currently illegal.

“If you show signs of impairment from a drug based on various observations, whether it’s the driving and also your physical condition, certainly we can lay charges currently,” he said.

While marijuana will not be legalized until October, tougher impaired-driving laws will be rolled out this summer, giving police greater powers.

The new legislation includes legal limits for how much marijuana can be present in a driver’s blood. It also requires people not to drive within two hours of being over the legal limits.

DeRuyter said his office will continue to work with their partners to get more information.