The police department “analyzed the substance use policy and transitioned to fitness for work policy instead of zero-tolerance.”
By Franca Quarneti, Via El Planteo
The Calgary Police Department in Alberta, Canada, lifted the ban on cannabis use for its officers.
According to Industria 420, the consumption of psychoactive cannabis will only be allowed during free time as long as it does not interfere with the duties of police personnel.
Speaking to the Calgary Herald, Andrea Urquhat, Director of Human Resources, explained, “We analyzed the substance use policy and transitioned to fitness for work policy instead of zero-tolerance. There is no evidence that this particular change is detrimental to our fundamental goal of serving and protecting.”
In 2018, following a raid on an illegal Toronto dispensary, two police officers ate cannabis-laced chocolate while on duty. What happened? One of the police officers, Vittorio Dominelli, 36, stole three chocolate bars from the raid, ate one while on duty, and encouraged his lower-ranking partner to do the same.
As reported by the National Post, when the marijuana-infused chocolate took effect, Dominelli thought he was going to die and called for help over the radio.
One of the officers who rushed to the scene to help slipped on ice and suffered a serious head injury, affecting his speech and vision.
From a public interest perspective, the impact was profound. “This conduct cannot be described as anything other than stupid… he is just a complete idiot, ” said Judge Mary Misener, during the hearing. Dominelli pleaded guilty to attempting to obstruct justice and faced a suspended supervised sentence of nine months and 60 hours of community service.
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Recently, Const. Jamie Young read an apology in court: “In doing so, I caused great embarrassment and damage to the reputation of the service and my fellow officers, and for that, I am deeply sorry.”
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The officer’s attorney requested an 18-month demotion to constable fourth class, followed by a 12-month demotion to constable third class. In addition, according to The Growth Op, Young proposed to attend the Toronto Police Service university for training once she is reinstated.
However, the court has not yet officially ruled on that joint offer.
