Dealing with the local impact of B.C.’s fentanyl crisis has been added to the 2017-18 policing priorities for Sunshine Coast RCMP.
Detachment commander Vishal Mathura appeared before the July 20 meeting of the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) policing committee to ask for input on the priorities list, which already includes: police visibility, youth outreach, road safety – with a focus on speeding and stunt driving – and marijuana.
“Fentanyl is present in every policing jurisdiction here in the Lower Mainland, and it is here on the Sunshine Coast,” said Mathura. “When you look at the impact from marijuana versus fentanyl, fentanyl’s impact is huge and it’s deadly.”
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) statistics released last week show there were 41 overdoses reported by Sechelt Hospital between Jan. 1 and May 31. Forty-five per cent were opioid related. Six people suffered fatal overdoses last year on the Sunshine Coast and there have been two suspected deaths this year, although cause of death in those cases has yet to be confirmed by the coroner.
There was also lengthy discussion about whether marijuana should remain on the list with the federal government pressing ahead with legalization of recreational use.
Mathura said RCMP have had a spike in complaints, but it’s difficult to decide how much priority to give cases like simple possession because the courts may take a lenient view given that legalization is less than a year away.
Frank Mauro, the SCRD director for Pender Harbour, said he favoured keeping marijuana on the priorities list because of ongoing complaints and concerns about grow-ops.
Sgt. Mike Hacker, the new Operations NCO for the detachment and an experienced drug investigator, said there are several issues police are waiting to get more information on from the federal government, including what rules it’s going to set for growing marijuana for recreational use.
“I’d like some clarity from the federal government on that. It also speaks to what we’re going to be doing with dispensaries,” said Hacker, who added later in the meeting that dispensaries have “jumped the gun with respect to setting up shop.”
Another question police have about how legalization will work is how it will be reflected in impaired driving laws.
“There’s no per se limit [such as the 0.8 per cent for alcohol], and there’s no research and data at this point to suggest that there will be an acceptable per se limit that would meet the standards of a court,” Hacker said.
Ottawa has said it plans to have its recreational marijuana legislation in place by July 1, 2018.
