Category: drug charges

By Christopher K. Assié & Joseph Neuberger Neuberger & Partners LLP The new amendments to the Criminal Code have changed the drinking and driving landscape significantly. Two changes are attracting particular attention due to their impacts on protected Charter rights and a serious potential for wrongful convictions. Arguably the most concerning amendment is the creation of a new offence – consuming too much alcohol or drugs after driving. Under s. 320.14(a) and (b), anyone with a blood alcohol concentration or blood drug concentration above the prescribed limits two hours after they have ceased driving is guilty of an offence. The…

Recent changes to the impaired driving laws by the Federal Government developed to combat drinking and driving offences and the impact of legalizing cannabis, the laws surrounding impaired driving in Canada changed on Tuesday, December 18, 2018. These changes come as part of Bill C-46 which was enacted to ensure deterrence from impaired driving by making the penalties some of the most severe in the world. What Hasn't Changed The amount of alcohol allowed in your system, or the blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) has not changed for drivers. For fully licensed “G” class drivers over the age of 21, that is…

A 50-year-old male is facing criminal charges in connection with allegedly selling illegal drugs. The Chapleau, Ontario, resident was recently arrested on drug charges for apparently providing a number of underage individuals with two types of drugs. The youths had to be hospitalized after overdosing on their purchases. Members of the Superior East Detachment of the OPP with help from the Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) and the Superior East Crime Unit searched a local business with a search warrant issued under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). The warrant was issued in connection with an in-depth investigation of…

Toronto, Ontario, is often seen as a multicultural city where multiple races enjoy opportunity and equality. However, a Toronto Star analysis recently showed that Black people in the city are disproportionately arrested for small amounts of marijuana possession. Data also shows that Black people in Toronto are more likely to be stopped by police on the street than White people. This can lead to criminal charges with long-term consequences. The analysis compares 10 years worth of data from official police records. Although marijuana use is consistent across racial lines in the area, arrests and police patrolling focuses on Black offenders. From 2003 to…

As the Canadian government seeks to change laws surrounding marijuana usage, statistics show that police officers are increasingly cracking down on pot and other drugs. The police-reported crime rate in Canada has been on steady decline since its peak in 1991. However, Statistics Canada reports that police-reported charges related to illegal substances have been on the rise during this period. Drug charges increased 52% between 1991 and 2013 across Canada. Marijuana possession accounted for one half of all drug charges in 2013, with two-thirds of drug-related offences being pot related. In all, about one in 20 incidents police reported in 2013 were…

If one has never been through it before, being arrested for suspected drug possession can be a frightening experience. A suspect's world is turned upside down in a matter of minutes. It may be unclear what one's rights are or what should be done next. Perhaps the young man taken into custody by police in Toronto recently had similar thoughts. What he knows is that he now faces potentially serious penalties for an array of drug charges. On June 4, Toronto Police arrested a 21-year-old man who was allegedly in possession of a sizable quantity of cocaine powder and crack.…

July 1, 2018 cannot come fast enough for cannabis industry workers in Ontario. That's the projected date for the legalization of marijuana in this country. Until that day comes, however, possession and distribution of marijuana remains illegal, except for licensed businesses and individuals. There is a certain amount of legal grey area where pot is concerned, but that has not stopped the continual arrests and pressing of criminal charges against dispensary owners and staff. On May 23, Toronto Police officers executed a warrant at a downtown Toronto business on Camden Street. During the raid, officers allegedly seized 2 kilograms of marijuana, approximately 60…

If a person gives the appearance of doing something suspicious, it does not always follow that a crime has been, or is about to be, committed. Unfortunately, the mere appearance of suspicion may be enough to garner attention from the police, whether warranted or not. Two Greater Toronto Area residents face multiple charges each, including drug trafficking, after police officers noticed them sitting in a parked car. On May 22, police in Barrie spotted a vehicle parked behind a hotel. Although the police refuse to say why they felt the situation was suspicious, officers approached the vehicle. The two occupants, a…

They say when it rains it pours. Like a torrential downfall, sometimes drug charges come raining down on a person after a police raid. When this happens, the accused individual may feel as if he or she is drowning in legal troubles. A woman from west of Toronto knows this exact feeling after police entered her home recently and charged her with drug trafficking and other crimes. The arrest happened on Feb. 9 at a home on Limeridge Road East in Hamilton. Shortly after 5:30 a.m., plainclothes officers entered the home after investigating tips provided about suspected drug activity in the neighbourhood. Numerous…

Marijuana continues to be a touchy subject in Canada, and many think of it as a legal "grey area." At the end of the day, however, there are still strict laws in place regarding its use, possession and transfer. A pair of Toronto residents was recently charged after police broke up what they allege to be a neighbourhood drug distributionbusiness. On Jan. 30, Toronto Police from 14 Division enacted a search warrant at a home under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. An investigation led police to the home where, they allege, two people were operating a neighbourhood marijuana dispensary. Various…