Police hand out some hefty fines for alleged violations

The celebratory mood that marked the legalization of recreational cannabis lost a bit of its high for some consumers who found themselves with hefty fines for allegedly violating laws around pot use.

Hours after people lined up outside Newfoundland cannabis stores to buy the first legal bud in Canada, police in St. John’s, N.L., say they ticketed a man accused of having more than 30 grams of weed in a public place without a licence.

Police arrested the 41-yearold man following reports that he assaulted a woman. But they say at the time of the arrest they discovered he “had a quantity of cannabis” and was issued a summary offence ticket.

Halifax district RCMP said they issued a $295 fine after officers spotted an open bag of government-supplied cannabis within the driver’s reach after he was pulled over for having expired plates at 2:30 a.m. Thursday in Dartmouth.

“It was right in the centre console,” said Cpl. Dal Hutchinson.

“They openly admitted that they knew they should have placed it elsewhere. On a positive note, there were no signs of impairment.”

Halifax Regional Police said they laid one charge of impaired driving after pulling a vehicle over in the city’s west end just before 9 a.m. on Thursday.

Police said the man appeared impaired by cannabis, but they are awaiting confirmation by the RCMP drug testing lab.

The Ontario Provincial Police took to Twitter early Wednesday to post a photo of a $215 ticket given to someone who allegedly had a baggy of marijuana in their car, urging people not to indulge while in a vehicle.

“Public safety is our commitment!! It is NOT OK for a driver to have marijuana beside them while operating a motor vehicle. Arrive alive, drive sober!!” OPP Central said on its Twitter feed.