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This Police Force Plans to Drop at Least $20-Million to Enforce Legal Weed

A Toronto-area police force expects to spend more than $20 million to enforce legal weed laws over the next two years.
weed out of a glass container
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A Toronto-area police force expects to spend more than $20 million to enforce legal weed laws over the next two years, and about $7 million more on enforcement every year after that. Most of the money is earmarked for cracking down on impaired driving and rooting out any remaining black market businesses after legalization comes into effect on October 17th.

The figures are contained in a report produced by York Regional Police in February 2018, and obtained by VICE News through a freedom of information request.

The report, Financial Implications of the Cannabis Act, provides a detailed breakdown of the projected costs of policing legal cannabis in York region, part of the Greater Toronto Area, and covers everything from investigating illegal pot dealers to educating kids about cannabis in school to drawing blood from drivers suspected of being high.

One of the first subjects raised in the report is “Experiences of Other Jurisdictions”, which lays out a summary of findings of research exploring the aftermath of cannabis legalization in Colorado and Washington state.

Read more on VICE News.