CANNABIS CULTURE – A Burnaby RCMP officer whose lost wallet was found with marijuana inside was fired after admitting he was a pot smoker.

Const. Amyn Dharamshi’s wallet was found, dropped in a mailbox, and eventually given to the Vancouver Police Dept. The VPD contacted the RCMP, who brought Dharamshi in for questioning.

First, the officer claimed the 6.1 grams of marijuana and a pack of rolling papers belonged to his brother. According to CanWest News service, the mountie even offered to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence, but broke down and admitted the pot was his just moments after the test was performed!

Dharamshi said that he had smoked cannabis several times recently to relieve martial and financial stress.

The Vancouver Sun provides some details:

At a formal disciplinary hearing in 2005 before a panel of three senior Mounties, Dharamshi pleaded for mercy, saying he knew what he did was wrong but that he wanted to remain on the force. Two of Dharamshi’s superiors testified on his behalf, including a corporal who, according to the judgment, argued that “had Constable Dharamshi sought relief from alcohol rather than marijuana, his actions would not have brought him into the discipline process.” However, the disciplinary panel ruled that Dharamshi’s use of an illegal substance was a serious matter that was only aggravated by the fact he lied about it when first confronted. “It takes courage to step up to the truth and Constable Dharamshi did not display such courage,” the panel ruled. “Dharamshi has conducted himself in such a manner that his integrity has been seriously brought into disrepute.” The panel ruled that Dharamshi should be forced to resign from the force and, if he failed to do so, that he should be fired. Dharamshi appealed the panel’s decision to the RCMP’s external review committee. However, in a decision last spring — recently obtained by The Vancouver Sun — the committee upheld Dharamshi’s dismissal. Dharamshi, who was suspended with pay from the force on Aug. 18, 2004, finally resigned on July 2, 2008.

So this is what it takes to get fired from the RCMP.

Unfortunately, this guy didn’t have much of a chance from the beginning. The RCMP and VPD have a deep distaste for marijuana – a side effect of their addiction to prohibition. Even if he told the truth immediately and admitted the pot was his, Dharamshi would have probably been forced to resign as an example to other closet smokers on the force.