Cannabis may be legal – but not in this case.
A member of the New Westminster Police Department’s gang suppression unit pulled over a vehicle that was speeding across the Queensborough Bridge about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The officer initiated a traffic stop and spoke to the driver, who was arrested.
According to a NWPD press release, a search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of dozens of vacuum-sealed bags of illicit cannabis, with a total weight of 52 kilograms.
“The gang suppression unit routinely intercepts people with large amounts of drugs or dangerous weapons,” said Const. Quinn Gallagher, who made the traffic stop.
As of Oct. 17, 2018, adults who are 18 years of age or older are legally able to possess up to 30 grams of legal dried cannabis (or the equivalent in non-dried form) in public.
“Though marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2018, it is illegal to sell marijuana outside the measures outlined in the Cannabis Act,” NWPD spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Leaver. “Penalties for offences under the Cannabis Act range from warnings and tickets for minor offences, to criminal prosecution and imprisonment for more serious offences.”
According to the Government of Canada, the possession limits in the Cannabis Act are based on dried cannabis, with one gram of dried cannabis being equal to five grams of fresh cannabis, 15 grams of edible product, 70 grams of liquid product, 0.25 grams of concentrates (solid or liquid), or one cannabis plant seed.
“We are still gathering evidence to determine the appropriate and applicable charges for recommendation to Crown Counsel,” Leaver said in a statement to the Record.
