Watch: Inspector Plays Down Calls For Strict Enforcement On Outdoor Weed Smoking
A police inspector from the Drugs Squad gave a refreshing answer when challenged about the lack of enforcement on people smoking weed outdoors.
During a debate on ONE TV’s Awla this week, Caritas director Anthony Gatt warned that the law prohibiting weed smoking outdoors and in front of children isn’t being enforced enough.
“A client once told me that if a law isn’t enforced, then it isn’t really a law,” Gatt said.
“On paper you cannot smoke in public and in front of children, but what’s happening out there tells a different story.”
However, Drugs Squad Inspector Jonathan Pace gave a different interpretation and said the focus should be more on education than enforcement.
“I don’t think that there needs to be enforcement for people to be law-abiding citizens,” he said. “Will smoking in public be cut down if we send a police officer to monitor every single person?”
“Enforcement alone isn’t enough and it’s so much better to educate people, and not by threatening them with fines and court charges.”
In fact, he said that when the police deliver cannabis education at schools, their focus is less on the legal consequences and more on health-related issues.
“Studies show that when you abuse substances at a young age there will be problems down the line,” Inspector Pace said. “I don’t think enforcement alone is a solution.”
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