Toronto Police Services (TPS)- pot is not an emergency call
Canada has spent the first full day of legalised recreational use of cannabis, and it was interesting.
Line-ups were long at the several legal, provincially licensed or controlled outlets across the country, with some people having spent hours to be among the first to purchase product. Indeed it appears that there wasn’t enough supply to meet demand with some outlets running out on the first day.
Anti-pot protest- driving infraction
There were a variety of organised and unorganised parties and events to celebrate the new legalisation.
However, in at least one major city, Vancouver, an anti-pot rally was held, and although loud and at times angry, there was no violence. Most of the protests concerned the negative health aspects and second-hand smoke. Some however were also concerned that small time growers were being pushed out by the rise of large corporate interests saying that the government framework will create “big cannabis” equivalent to “big tobacco”.
Members of various anti-legalisation groups warned about the public health risks posed by cannabis in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Wednesday. Meanwhile, just steps away, people were buying pot at a makeshift booth (CBC)
The first ticket for smoking pot behind the wheel, something many had feared, was also issued on this first day. In fact just one hour (1:00 AM) after recreational use became legal. Winnipeg police noted you can’t drink alcohol while driving and neither can you smoke pot.
The ticket cost the driver $672.
Police in Winnipeg, Manitoba issued the first driving infraction just one hour after (Winnipeg Police Service-twitter)
TPS Campaign: Don’t call 911 about marijuana
In Britain the phone number in emergencies is 999, in Europe it is 112, in Canada the number to dial in an serious accident, medical crisis, fire, threat, or other emergency is 911.
Police in Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, have launched another campaign to tell people to stop calling the emergency number for trivial reasons.
Police in Toronto have launched another campaign about making frivolous calls to the emergency number. The twitter campaign is based on actual calls people have made. (TPS)
Now that recreational cannabis is legal, they are adding a note to the campaign advising people to stop calling 911 and bothering police just to report people smoking marijuana or snitch on them growing cannabis plants.
Police are adamant that trivial calls to 911 could block someone who is in a real emergency where seconds could matter. The new campaign adds that cannabis is now legal (for those aged 19 and up) so don’t bother the police with calls about people smoking, (TPS)
The Toronto Police Service twitter campaign uses actual trivial phone calls made to the 911 emergency number.
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