Winnipeg's 1st ticket for toking in a car issued 1 hour into legalization

One hour after pot was legalized, Winnipeg police issued their first ticket for consuming cannabis in a car. 

Around 1 a.m., Winnipeg Police Service traffic division Insp. Gord Spado says one of his officers issued the ticket during a traffic stop. 

"An hour into legality, and something illegal," Spado said Wednesday.

It's not clear whether the person ticketed was driving at the time or not.

Spado said while the cannabis was likely illegally purchased — online sales started at 12:01 a.m. but weren't being delivered yet at 1 a.m. — no ticket was issued for that. 

"It doesn't look like anything was pursued as far as the illicit component of it goes," he said. "I think that's just the education piece of our members, knowing where to go with that. It's still new to us, too, right, so we're still learning." 

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Spado notes it will be difficult to determine if cannabis has been illegally purchased. Another challenge will be ticketing people for consuming edibles in vehicles. 

"If somebody has an edible in a car and we can prove it, that's also an offence," Spado noted. "Sometimes we can [prove it], sometimes we can't. And when edibles are legally produced commercially, then it might be a little bit easier, because there'll be packaging and things like that that might be visible." 

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The ticket, like a lot of offences pertaining to legal marijuana, comes with a $672 fine. 

Since changes came in with the Cannabis Harm Prevention Act last year, WPS officers have issued two citations for transporting cannabis in a vehicle. 

Some fines for new marijuana offences: 

• $2,542: Supplying cannabis to a young person under age 19.
• $2,542: Growing non-medical cannabis in a residence in Manitoba .
• $672: Smoking or vaping cannabis in provincial parks.
• $672: Smoking or vaping cannabis in a public place.
• $237: Driver carrying cannabis in or on vehicle (i.e.not in trunk; same fine for off-road vehicles).
• $672: Consuming cannabis in or on vehicle on a highway.
• $672: Consuming cannabis in or on off-road vehicle.

Source: Province of Manitoba