Recreational marijuana is now legal in B.C. but only for anyone 19 and older – and a pair of West Shore youths have learned that the hard way.
Mounties say they busted two underage youths for possession of cannabis at Belmont Secondary School in Langford Wednesday night.
The youths were handed fines of $230 each under B.C.'s new Cannabis Control and Licencing Act, West Shore RCMP said in a news release.
"Although cannabis is now legal for adults in Canada, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 19 years old to possess or consume," Const. Darren Somerville said in the release. "Police are focusing on enforcement for anyone in contravention of the Cannabis Control and Licencing Act."
Police said they had been conducting foot patrols in the Belmont area, which is known to be popular with young people for smoking pot and drinking alcohol.
The legal age for consumption of Cannabis is 19 in most provinces across the country with the exceptions of Quebec and Alberta, where it's 18 years old.
Researchers have linked cannabis use and the appearance of psychosis in youth, saying it affects brain development in young people.
A social media awareness campaign aimed at stopping kids from inadvertent cannabis exposure launched Wednesday with the hashtag #PotCanPoisonKids.
