York Regional Police backtracks on doobie-ous marijuana answers

'We're pretty sure getting high does not cause enhanced mammary growth in men'

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 21, 2018
By Kim Zarzour

The Grade 12 students giggled when they heard a York Region Police officer tell them that "doobies make boobies", but police aren't laughing now.

The statement, made by Const. Nigel Cole at a conference on legalization of marijuana, lit a storm of controversy on social media - and caused YRP to backtrack with what some are describing as the "tweet of the year."

"We're no health experts, but we're pretty sure getting high does not cause enhanced mammary growth in men. We are aware of the misinformation about cannabis that was unfortunately provided to the community by our officers. We're working to address it," YRP tweeted.

The statement, along with several other contentious answers to students' questions, went viral, with many questioning whether or not YRP officers know enough about the substance - soon to be legalized – and why this particular officer was called upon to enlighten high school students at the York Region separate school board.

The separate school board had issued information saying Cole was a "drug recognition officer", but that is actually not the case, according to YRP Constable Laura Nicolle.

He is a school resource officer.

While the science is still murky when it comes to reduced testosterone and "enhanced mammary growth" (both the Mayo clinic and National Institutes of Health have information on their websites that say there may be links, but other research disputes that) Nicolle said YRP is keen to correct several points of misinformation presented at the Feb. 15 conference.

Among the corrected answers, YRP states that marijuana has not been found to be laced with fentanyl, health effects should be left to health professionals  and impairment by any substance is unsafe for driving.

Whether half a joint is equivalent to seven alcoholic drinks (as stated by Cole) or not, the fact is, impairment by any substance is unsafe for driving, Nicolle said. "Everyone handles everything differently. Don't consume either if you're going to be driving."

Nicolle is not surprised by the controversy.

"The tone of the community is the laws are changing and society is moving forward with this. Any time this topic comes up, people are certainly passionate about it."

York Regional Police issued the following release late yesterday, in response to controversy over officers' statements to students:

York Regional Police would like to correct some misinformation regarding the pending legalization and impact of cannabis that was provided to the community by two of our officers at a school board conference last week. The officers' comments do not reflect the position of York Regional Police.

As police officers, we are not experts in health, addictions or public policy making. Our role is to enforce the law.

The information to follow reflects the position of York Regional Police when it comes to the enforcement duties of our officers and the responsibilities of our service on this issue.

Q: What is the impact of legalized marijuana for law enforcement and the criminal justice system?

As the legislation and accompanying regulations for the legalization of cannabis have not yet been passed into law, it is difficult to project the true impact of the changes.

However, the main concerns of police are potential increases in impaired driving and organized crime involvement. We anticipate the costs associated for additional equipment and training could be more than $6 million a year for our service alone.

Q: How does the officer test if a driver is under the influence?

There are tools police use to determine if a person is impaired by alcohol or drugs, which includes roadside testing, breath tests or, in the case of suspected impairment by drug, an examination by a drug recognition expert.

The existing tools can only determine the level of alcohol or the presence of drugs in a driver's system. Currently there is no device that measures the level of cannabis or other drug in a person's system other than a blood test.

Police services do not know yet what, if any, testing devices will be approved by the federal government to detect cannabis in drivers. We also don't know if such devices will be able to measure amounts of cannabis in drivers. We are still awaiting the regulations on this aspect from the federal government.

Q: What's more dangerous - driving under the influence of marijuana or alcohol?

Driving while impaired is dangerous. There is no factor of more or less in relation to the danger it poses to everyone. We would like to remind motorists that driving requires your full attention. Being impaired by any amount of drugs or alcohol can impair your judgment and increase your risk of being involved in a collision. We encourage all of our citizens to drive sober.

Q: Why is the proposed minimum age for legal pot use so low, when studies show that until you are 25 years old your brain is still under development?

It is not a police responsibility to determine the legal age for cannabis consumption; how long the effects of consumption could remain in your system; whether legalization is a good idea; or how the new laws will be implemented by government.

Q: How long after you smoke pot do the effects linger in your system to impact driving?

This question should be directed to a public health professional.

Q: If students are caught smoking on school property, can they be arrested?

In Ontario, it will be illegal for anyone under the age of 19 to possess cannabis; it will also be illegal to smoke cannabis in public.

Q: Will it be an offence to provide marijuana to someone underage?

Yes.

Q: Do you think the pros of legalizing marijuana outweigh the cons?

This is a question for the federal government, not police. Until the regulations are released and the legislation enacted into law, no one can know what the actual outcome will be.

Our role is enforcement of the laws as they stand to ensure ongoing community and road safety. As police officers, we will continue to enforce the law.

York Regional Police is committed to continuing its fight against organized crime and impaired driving, be it by drugs or alcohol.