OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Pot is not legal yet. That’s the message from Canada’s police chiefs, who say they have been dealing with too many people trying to jump the gun on the Trudeau government’s promise to legalize and regulate marijuana.

Clive Weighill, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, tells Maclean’s on the Hill that there has been an increase in illegal marijuana dispensaries.

“Nanaimo shut down three dispensaries. Halifax has shut one down. Toronto has… we have, here in Saskatoon, as well. We want to stay ahead of this as much as we can. Certainly, I would say we are not anti-marijuana. But we do have laws here, and until we know what the new regulations are going to be, we have to enforce the laws as they currently stand.”

Weighill adds officers will arrest those who decide to sell weed too early.

“The charges would be trafficking because you’re trafficking in a substance that you’re not allowed to have… [also], maybe proceeds of crime… It’s a very serious offence, right now.”

The Association is calling on the feds to clarify for the public that marijuana is still illegal.

Click here to hear the full interview.