Dear RCMP, How Does Cannabis Use Affect PAL Eligibility?

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TheGunBlog.ca — Canada legalized buying, selling and using cannabis for fun in certain limited cases this month. We asked the federal police, which licenses gun owners, how the legal purchase or use of weed might affect eligibility to get and keep a firearm Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL). Here is their response.

The reply was e-mailed to TheGunBlog.ca yesterday by Tania Vaughan, a spokeswoman for the Ottawa-based Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

From: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

To: TheGunBlog.ca

Date: 22 October 2018

Subject: Re: Firearm Licensing and Cannabis

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) employs an in-depth licence applicant screening process for those wishing to acquire a firearms licence. All first-time firearms licence applicants undergo thorough screening, including interviews of the applicants and their references, and checks on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database.

Under the Firearms Act, Chief Firearms Officers of jurisdiction (CFOs) are authorized to refuse an application for a licence or revoke a firearms licence, based on their assessment of the individual’s risk to public safety.

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