News Police In Canada Have Issued A $2,542 Ticket After A 13 Year Old Admitted He Smoked Marijuana

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Thomas MacDonald · 4 hours ago
Recreational marijuana has been legal in Canada for just under two weeks, but already the process has proved tumultuous.

In Quebec, for example, the société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC), the government-run agency with a monopoly on cannabis sales, has already cleared its shelves, both in store and online.

ALSO READ: Montreal's Azur STM Metro Trains Have To Slow Down Around Berri-UQAM Because They Don't Quite Fit In The Tracks

TL;DR Manitoba police have given a $2,542 ticket to a man who provided a thirteen-year-old with marijuana.

As a result, the SQDC announced that it is closing its storefronts Monday through Wednesday in an effort to keep up with demand and give suppliers more time to produce viable stock.


The enforcement of new cannabis laws has also seen complications. Because there is no precedent for marijuana-related offenses while the drug is legal, police have been unsure exactly how to enforce untested and sometimes ambiguous regulations.

But such setbacks have not deterred police when it comes to high driving. Across the country, officers have established mandatory road stops to catch individuals who get behind the wheel after enjoying their legal product.

Now it seems police have begun to issue tickets for cannabis offenses relating to minors.

The punishments for providing weed to anyone under 18 (under 19 in some areas) are strict in every province.

Now that severity has become even more apparent.

According to CTV, Manitoba police have issued a $2,542 fine to a man accused of supplying a thirteen-year-old with marijuana.

This appears to be the priciest ticket for such an offense since legalization.

Prime minister Justin Trudeau has long argued that the legalization of recreational cannabis would empower law enforcement to more aggressively pursue cases where minors receive weed from a person above the legal age of consumption.

The cornerstone of legalizations efforts was the promise that it would keep the drug out of the hands of children.

Those efforts are now becoming clear.

They care far more about protecting the LPs financial interest than they do about keeping it out of your children's reach.

Want to know what happens to a liquor store in Canada when they sell to a minor?

his week, the Burin Peninsula RCMP said two people had been charged for not having cannabis properly sealed in their vehicle. A 21-year-old woman from Garnish and her passenger, a 20-year-old man from Marystown, faced a charge under the Cannabis Control Act.

These appeared to be among the first charges of its kind in Newfoundland and Labrador, based on media releases from police.

Another traffic stop a couple of days later, this time in Pasadena, saw a Little Rapids woman charged with having "open cannabis" in her car, according to the RCMP. She was also charged with buying the drug from someone other than a licensed retailer.

annabis has to be in its original packaging with an unbroken seal in order to be permitted in a car.

• All your questions about legal recreational cannabis in N.L. answered

But what about when it's not a brand-new package?

As an example, you purchase weed from a licensed retailer. You drive home from the store with it, in its sealed package. You open it, smoke some of it, then put the rest away. Later, you're heading out to a friend's house and want to take those leftovers along, but the package has been opened and the seal has been broken.

In that case, it has to be in the trunk of your car or a rooftop carrier — something that makes it not readily available to people in the car. This is similar to rules around so-called open alcohol, or booze in which the original seal has been broken.


If you want to have weed in the front seat, or back, it has to be sealed in its original packaging. (CBC News)
There is an exception — when you've paid to travel on a bus or in a taxi.

The exact wording in the Cannabis Control Act is, "A person shall not drive or have the care or control of a vehicle or a boat, whether it is in motion or not, with cannabis in the vehicle or boat unless ... the cannabis is in the possession of a passenger who is being transported, for compensation, in a bus or taxi."

And of course, you're not allowed to smoke or otherwise consume any cannabis inside a car, bus or taxi, regardless of whether it's moving or not. The only exception is if you're using that vehicle as a dwelling, like a motor home.

But even then, if you're on a private campground, you need permission from the property owner to smoke.

Read more stories from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador















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Sensationalism aimed at justifying the extra millions wasted on law enforcement. Legalization should be cheaper than prohibition.

I'll bet the first case that goes to court will GET tossed out.
Ok...the out of access of the driver part I get......the container part

MedicatedHiker said:

Sensationalism aimed at justifying the extra millions wasted on law enforcement. Legalization should be cheaper than prohibition.

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As you said Hiker......it's about whether I'm rolling it and smoking/consuming it.....not whether I have any at all. This is a good observation and one I feel the cops are missing the point on. They will be corrected imo by the courts.

What about someone who grows their own and simply wants to take some with them anywhere they may be going. If it's legal to grow...who gonna have an LP bottle or so called. legal package........NO ONE.

Not to mention home grown weed is NOT illegal. Any Canadian adult in most provinces can grow their own. NO JUDGE is going to find you guilty of having a legal product. As long as it's OUTTA reach....makes perfect sense.

IT'S ABOUT CONSUMING THE PRODUCT WHILE DRIVING.

No judge is going to convict anyone transporting it as long as it wasn't in the passenger compartment. THIS is what the law is intended to prevent. I believe a judge once that is pointed out will say "yes"

gb123 said:

Another traffic stop a couple of days later, this time in Pasadena, saw a Little Rapids woman charged with having "open cannabis" in her car, according to the RCMP. She was also charged with buying the drug from someone other than a licensed retailer.

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How is that going to fly in court? If it legal to grow it and gift it....wtf. This double standard will be challenged by a smart lawyer and tossed out imo.
The MISTAKE they made is allowing folks to grow their own and gift it....nothing illegal in that is there????
After all, their own laws say homegrowing is allowed.....therefore there is NO illicit cannabis is there? Only if they can prove you bought it.

Hi buddy I came over to gift you a oz of weed I grew. Oh by the way since I am here any way do you have that $200 I lent you last week.

But someone can drive with a open bottle of morphine or oxy's within reach. Unlike alcohol where you can unscrew the top and take a swig, cannabis needs to be ground up and rolled before smoking. Those two points are all that is needed to have this law tossed.

VIANARCHRIS said:

But someone can drive with a open bottle of morphine or oxy's within reach. Unlike alcohol where you can unscrew the top and take a swig, cannabis needs to be ground up and rolled before smoking. Those two points are all that is needed to have this law tossed.

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Well your 100% correct Chris. And of course that is the most sensible answer as well.
I ( believe it or not ) don't find it unreasonable to have it out of my reach. For the dum cops it makes it easier.
It's stupid but they think of as booze.

spider9 said:

Hi buddy I came over to gift you a oz of weed I grew. Oh by the way since I am here any way do you have that $200 I lent you last week.

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Or just say " I grew it myself " " is that illegal "

The Hippy said:

Well your 100% correct Chris. And of course that is the most sensible answer as well.
I ( believe it or not ) don't find it unreasonable to have it out of my reach. For the dum cops it makes it easier.
It's stupid but they think of as booze.

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Yeah, I don't really have a problem with it either - except I ALWAYS have several joints in my cigarette pack. I drive a pickup so there is no trunk... I'll claim a medical need or some shit and see how it goes lol. As for the guy selling weed to a 13 year old - no sympathy for him at all. Don't be an idiot and supply minors with booze, weed, smokes or guns and you should be okay.

VIANARCHRIS said:

Yeah, I don't really have a problem with it either - except I ALWAYS have several joints in my cigarette pack. I drive a pickup so there is no trunk... I'll claim a medical need or some shit and see how it goes lol. As for the guy selling weed to a 13 year old - no sympathy for him at all. Don't be an idiot and supply minors with booze, weed, smokes or guns and you should be okay.

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Well said

It's just occured to me...How old was that man? Yeah, they make it sound like they got a dangerous criminal, but I bet it's someone who gave weed to their kid brother.

PS. "This is similar to rules around so-called open alcohol, or booze in which the original seal has been broken. " Bull shit. You can get drunk from an open container of alcohol and having a bottle open in a moving vehicle implies intent to consume as liquids spill. Cannabis? It's not a liquid. It's in the car because you can't leave it in the hot trunk like skunky dollar beer. Besides, have you ever tried rolling a joint while driving? Yeah, the law is fucking stupid.

a $2,542 fine to a man accused of supplying a thirteen-year-old with marijuana. i see no problem with that kids shouldn't be smoking weed

VIANARCHRIS said:

cannabis needs to be ground up and rolled before smoking.

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Say what? You never heard of chewing cannabis, much more palatable than chewing tobacco.

zoic said:

Say what? You never heard of chewing cannabis, much more palatable than chewing tobacco.

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When my lung collapsed a year ago I couldn't smoke for a while, I decarbed some bud and would tuck it in my lip. I could feel the effects a little but i had to gut it.
Lip Dinnnnah

Kipn said:

a $2,542 fine to a man accused of supplying a thirteen-year-old with marijuana. i see no problem with that kids shouldn't be smoking weed

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That man may be his 18 year-old big brother. Yeah, it's not just what the media share, but also what they don't.

MedicatedHiker said:

That man may be his 18 year-old big brother. Yeah, it's not always what the media share but what they don't.

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i understand that and odds are it was the older brother or a family member but i still see no problem with giving a big ass fine for providing a child with cannabis. i have smoked cannabis everyday from 9yrs old and i am now 35. i am more then happy to admit that smoking cannabis at a young age did prevent me from achieving many things in life as a teen.
my family lived by the rule if you want to do drugs and stuff do it in our house and not on the streets. in one way that was the right thing to do but on the other hand more discipline should of been enforced