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Despite this relatively low consumption, 84.6 Saskatchewan residents for every 100,000 people over the age of 12 are busted and charged. That is 51 per cent higher than the Canadian average and 170 per cent higher than stoned-out Nova Scotia (and 44 per cent higher than in British Columbia). These numbers suggest the law is enforced very differently in different parts of the country.

The differences get bigger when we look at specific cities. People in Saskatoon are busted 111 per cent more often than people in Regina. People in Edmonton are charged 192 per cent more often than folks in Calgary. In Ottawa-Gatineau, people are busted at a rate 311 per cent higher on the Quebec side of the river than on the Ontario side. People from Sherbrooke are arrested 1,301 per cent more often than people in Halifax — even though Nova Scotians smoke the most pot while Quebecers smoke the second least of any province.

These enormous differences are even bigger for youths aged 12 to 17. Young people in Saskatoon are charged for possession 120 per cent more often than those in Regina. Those in Sherbrooke are charged 1,673 per cent more often than in Halifax.

Section 15(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states, “Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination.” The pattern of geographically based differences in charging for cannabis possession suggests that the charter right for equality of treatment under the law has not been adhered to. Equality of treatment disappears as every police force appears to have different enforcement criteria and practices.