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Officers won’t have enough time or resources to enforce the city’s proposed public cannabis use bylaw once recreational marijuana consumption becomes legal later this year, Calgary’s police union boss says.

Les Kaminski, Calgary Police Association president, said police are “working at maximum capacity,” city bylaw officers are already “overwhelmed,” and ticketing Calgarians for public cannabis use will end up taking a backseat to more urgent police matters.

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Under the city’s proposed rules going to a council committee next week, cannabis use would be largely limited to private homes or designated areas at public events.

While medical cannabis users would be exempt from the public ban, the city’s recommendations are more strict than those put down by the province, which would allow cannabis to be smoked, vaped or consumed on sidewalks and in public parks.

‘’If anybody thinks we’re going to be driving around looking for people that are smoking pot out in the street, that’s not going to happen,” Kaminski said.