Canada’s armed forces on Friday issued orders strictly limiting cannabis use among service members, just a month before the country legalizes the drug.
Soldiers would be banned from smoking or otherwise consuming the drug up to eight hours before reporting for duty.
The ban on usage would take effect 28 days before any deployment for personnel serving on submarines, airplanes or helicopters, or for those piloting drones, conducting high-altitude parachute drops or engaging in air traffic control.
“Traces of cannabis may remain in the human body for up to 28 days or more following consumption,” the Canadian Department of National Defence said in a statement detailing the restrictions.
The ban on consuming the drug for eight hours before work at a military base applies to uniformed and civilian members of the armed forces.
Any personnel scheduled to handle weapons or explosives, participate in emergency services or drive military vehicles would be prohibited from consumption up to 24 hours before duty.
The statement on the armed forces’ Web site also listed signs of cannabis use that service members should look out for among their comrades, including “the smell of cannabis, glassy or red eyes, unusual talkativeness, slow reactions, inattention, lethargy, unsteady gait, poor coordination and anxiety.”
Canada is to become the second country to legalize cannabis on Oct. 17, following the example of Uruguay, which legalized it in December 2013.
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