The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is easing its policy on cannabis use by members, now saying that they must be fit for duty when reporting for work.

The new substance use policy replaces one from 2018 that required front-line officers and several other employees in “safety-sensitive” positions to abstain from recreational cannabis use for four weeks before duty.

This change, which was implemented earlier in January, brings the RCMP in line with several other police forces on employee pot use.

Welcoming the move, the National Police Federation, which represents almost 20,000 RCMP members, says the previous policy was “not consistent with the police universe.”

Federation president, Brian Sauve, said in a recent statement that union committees had been calling for review and modernization of the policy since 2020.

The RCMP had acknowledged last summer the 2018 policy was under review, with no final decision taken.