Police commission hears updates on cannabis, meth
Since cannabis legalization in mid-October, Calgary police say the drug has been linked to three per cent of total calls.
The police service made changes to its systems to track their workload related to cannabis, members of the Calgary police commission heard at a meeting Tuesday evening. In the first 32 days of legalization, police say there were 195 cannabis-related incidents.
Those incidents refer to anytime a report was filed in which cannabis, based on officer perception, was involved in the call. Katy Doucette, project manager for cannabis for Calgary police, said that doesn’t mean cannabis was the reason for the call, only that it was flagged as being involved.
Police commission chair Brian Thiessen said the presentation indicated that cannabis legalization has not had a significant impact on policing efforts or societal issues.
“As the CPS pointed out, the sky has not fallen because of cannabis legalization,” he told reporters following the meeting.
Interim police chief Steve Barlow said police are trying to collect data related to the legalization of cannabis.
“Because now that it’s legal, it doesn’t mean it’s always legal,” he said. “If you’re growing five plants, it’s not legal. If you’re driving under the influence of marijuana, it’s not legal. So we’re trying to be able to capture it on a long-term basis, what’s changing.”
Police have recorded a total of five incidents involving the seizure of cannabis, including a grow op with more than 1,100 plants that was shut down in October.
Between Oct. 17 and Nov. 15, police held 13 checkstops in 21 locations, resulting in four drugrelated 24-hour driving suspensions, two of which were identified as related to cannabis. Doucette said that’s the same number of suspensions related to cannabis in the month before legalization.
The total cost to police associated with legalization is estimated at just over $3 million, including training for members.
At the monthly meeting, commissioners also heard an update on methamphetamine. Insp. Kevin Forsen said in the first six months of 2018, police saw more than 500 meth seizures, a number that he expects to rise to more than 1,000 for the year. He also noted that from November 2016 to October 2018, police have seen 8,767 calls for service where meth was mentioned.
Barlow called those numbers “very concerning.”
“It’s wrapped around so many of our crimes right now,” he said. “When we have people breaking into houses and people stealing and doing petty crime, that means way more Calgarians are affected by that.”