West Shore RCMP are reminding drivers not to keep Cannabis within reach of drivers while operating a vehicle, after one individual was pulled over with a significant amount on their person on Wednesday afternoon.
On March 27th, officers pulled over a vehicle at the intersection of Jacklin Road and Sooke Road for a traffic violation. As officers approached the vehicle, they noticed a strong odour of Cannabis coming from the vehicle.
When officers spoke with the driver, the individual was unable to produce a drivers license and officers could see a large ziplock bag full of Cannabis within it sitting in the front passenger seat.
See also: Two teens fined $230 for being in possession of marijuana in Langford
In total, the bag weighed 23 grams.
West Shore RCMP is reminding drivers to treat cannabis similarly to alcohol and to keep unsealed cannabis away from drivers or passengers while on the road.
“Under the Cannabis Control Licensing Act, Cannabis can be transported in a vehicle but it must be sealed in its original Federal packaging,” said Cst. Nancy Saggar of the West Shore RCMP. “If the package is open, it must not be accessible to the driver or passengers while driving.”
“If you are going to travel with Cannabis in the vehicle, the safest place to put it is in your trunk and not on your front seat. This is very similar to the laws surrounding open liquor in a vehicle. For example, if you pick up a bottle of wine from the liquor store and drove straight home with it, that’s ok. Now if you decide to take a half-opened bottle of liquor to a friend’s home you cannot transport it in a vehicle where the driver or passengers can access it.”
“These laws are aimed to protect the public by preventing impaired driving,” she added.
Police seized the cannabis found in the car and issued the driver a violation ticket of $230 for operating a vehicle while in possession of cannabis. They were also given a warning for not being able to produce a driver’s license.
