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Im not talking about drink and drive, of course. I was thinking about something like this: a person that had too much after a night out was walking home and a cop see it. Will the cop stop and do something about it? Because it sounds crazy to me, the guy is doing NOTHING, he just had a lot. Beyond that, what happens if an officer stops you? What is this drunk tank? You just have to pay a fine or you are arrested or something worse?
The drunk tank is a 10x10 room with a gym mat to sleep on and a blanket. Frozen pot pie or a Subway sandwich if you are vegetarian. You go in, sleep it off, and get booted out the next morning. No ticket, no fine, just held until you are safe in public again.
In practical terms, you can be drunk in public as long as you are not a danger to yourself or others as a result of your intoxication. People don't appreciate some stupid drunk standing in the road and having to swerve around them. If you are just drunk and stumbling to a taxi, it's FINE. Is it technically illegal? Yes, but in 10 years in policing I never once saw anyone get anything beside the tank (sleep it off).
Nobody has time and money to invest in drunks who are harmless. It's not a big deal. Just don't be a jerk about it, that's all.
Im not talking about drink and drive, of course. I was thinking about something like this: a person that had too much after a night out was walking home and a cop see it. Will the cop stop and do something about it? Because it sounds crazy to me, the guy is doing NOTHING, he just had a lot. Beyond that, what happens if an officer stops you? What is this drunk tank? You just have to pay a fine or you are arrested or something worse?
An officer should not stop you unless you are either someplace you should not be or behving badly.
Drunk tank is usually one jail cell called "holding" where you will be asked to empty your pockets before being put into the cell along with whoever else was picked off the street for behaving badly.
You got me wrong, man. The problem is: how much can I drink not to be considered intoxicated? This is relative. If I am walking home after drinking some beers, can I be considered drunk?? Can they take me to drunk tank or anything?
And beoynd that, whats is the problem to be drunk if I am not doing anything to bother people around me? If I scream, pick a fight, bother people or anything like that, I should be arrested but not for being drunk, I should be arrested for what I did.
Intoxicated in the eyes of any cop anywhere I've travelled anywhere in the world has always been determined by the foregoing "behaving badly or at least stupidly". No cop anywhere is going to stop and check your sobriety unless you give him cause to. Police are just like anyone else and don't go looking for trouble where none visibly exists. If you give them cause such as starting a fight or trying to walk across a busy street at other than the crosswalk and stagger while doing so then they'll perform their due diligence. They are obligated to do so.
In todays suit happy environment imagine this: You witness an obviously drunk individual playing Don Quixote with a streetcar by standing in the middle of the tracks and daring the car to hit him and while witnessing this event you also see a police car drive slowly past, make eyecontact with the individual and carry on. After said police car leaves, this clown is run over and killed by a streetcar passing in the other direction. Parents of clown become aware there were witnesses to the police NOT taking preventative action to prevent the unnecessary death of an obviously inebriated person. Police get sued, bar that served him his last drinks get sued because they are, by law, not allowed to sell drinks to an OBVIOUSLY intoxicated individual.
Exactly. You are responsible for what you do. If you obstruct traffic, cops should go after you but not for the fact that you are intoxicated.
Once again; how do they know you're intoxicated unless you give them cause to question your sobriety? Slurring your words a bit but managing to navigate the sidewalk without bumping into other people or parked cars isn't going to bring you any undo attention by any police anywhere except Saudi Arabia where the consumation of any alcholic beverages is illegal.
Im from Brazil. Can you imagine carnival without people drinking on the streets? hahaha
And in Toronto during any festive occasion it will be the same. Do you really imagine the police bother with obviously inebriated individuals during or after 'Carabbana' winds up?
You must really try to keep in mind the laws of your host country and not put it into perspective related to your home country.
In any country there will be acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and I'm sure there are laws on the books within Brazil describing behaviour we all take for granted as being illegal such as this one:
The drunk tank is a 10x10 room with a gym mat to sleep on and a blanket. Frozen pot pie or a Subway sandwich if you are vegetarian. You go in, sleep it off, and get booted out the next morning. No ticket, no fine, just held until you are safe in public again.
In practical terms, you can be drunk in public as long as you are not a danger to yourself or others as a result of your intoxication. People don't appreciate some stupid drunk standing in the road and having to swerve around them. If you are just drunk and stumbling to a taxi, it's FINE. Is it technically illegal? Yes, but in 10 years in policing I never once saw anyone get anything beside the tank (sleep it off).
Nobody has time and money to invest in drunks who are harmless. It's not a big deal. Just don't be a jerk about it, that's all.
You said youve never seen anyone get anything beside the tank. When you say "anyone" you are talking about anyone intoxicated that was doing nothing beyond strumble to a taxi or anyone intoxicated in general?
BruSan, as you explained, I understand why there is this law but I dont agree. If you want to drink and you are over age, why not? You are responsible for you acts. If you die, its your fault and parents are not right to complain about the police officer that hasnt done anything. But if the intoxicated person is harmful to others or is doing something stupid like destroying public stuff, he should be arrested, but not because he is drunk. He should be arrested because he is breaking things, he should be arrested because he is doing something stupid that may hurt people around him. And it is a crime in any place in the world, even here in Brazil.
The really annoying rule is not allowing restaurants and bars to serve until after 11am on a Sunday, which kills the whole Brunch scene. So what if someone wants to have a Bloody or Mimosa at 10am, that is their business. It also sucks when I used to go out to catch an English Premiership match early morning and cant order a pint to watch the match. Ontario is just super uptight anyways in general, so we shouldn't be surprised.
This annoys me aswell. I've always wondered why at 10am I can go to the LCBO and buy as much vodka as I want... but if I'm in a bar, I can't order a shot of vodka until 11.
BruSan, as you explained, I understand why there is this law but I dont agree. If you want to drink and you are over age, why not? You are responsible for you acts. If you die, its your fault and parents are not right to complain about the police officer that hasnt done anything. But if the intoxicated person is harmful to others or is doing something stupid like destroying public stuff, he should be arrested, but not because he is drunk. He should be arrested because he is breaking things, he should be arrested because he is doing something stupid that may hurt people around him. And it is a crime in any place in the world, even here in Brazil.
Goast24; you are rapidly assimilating the displayed characteristics of one who cherry picks words, then parses and realigns them to fit the narrative they wish to endlessly debate ad-infinitem.
We have attempted to assuage your fears of being drunk in a public venue other than a bar and perhaps being detained by police. Those assurances addressed to your intitial query have now morphed into the moral contradiction of whether or not it should be the law that someone merely observed being drunk would constitute being an infraction under that law.
Our laws also attempt to prevent suicide, but I suppose your contention would be that being of a certain age should enable anyone to make that decision for themselves.
I posted a link you ignored to show you that even Brazil has laws (illegal to die within city limits) that others might disagree with and find idiotic, but to no avail so let's just agree to disagree on this Canadian one shall we?
Your countries laws may allow for public drunkeness without constraint, indeed, they may even encourage it. Our laws do not.
If accommodating our laws into your lifestyle while visiting is not practicable then you will perhaps have to face the consequences of your actions that you have been made aware MIGHT be forthcoming.
It doesn't matter if you don't agree with Canada's laws, all that matters is that you abide by the laws while you're a guest in Canada.
.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BruSan
Goast24; you are rapidly assimilating the displayed characteristics of one who cherry picks words, then parses and realigns them to fit the narrative they wish to endlessly debate ad-infinitem.
We have attempted to assuage your fears of being drunk in a public venue other than a bar and perhaps being detained by police. Those assurances addressed to your intitial query have now morphed into the moral contradiction of whether or not it should be the law that someone merely observed being drunk would constitute being an infraction under that law.
Our laws also attempt to prevent suicide, but I suppose your contention would be that being of a certain age should enable anyone to make that decision for themselves.
I posted a link you ignored to show you that even Brazil has laws (illegal to die within city limits) that others might disagree with and find idiotic, but to no avail so let's just agree to disagree on this Canadian one shall we?
Your countries laws may allow for public drunkeness without constraint, indeed, they may even encourage it. Our laws do not.
If accommodating our laws into your lifestyle while visiting is not practicable then you will perhaps have to face the consequences of your actions that you have been made aware MIGHT be forthcoming.
Simple, yes?
First, I wasked something and you guys replied. Then, it made us start discussing the subject. Im not the first one to express my opinion here. I am not saying that I wont follow these "rules", I just think it is a good topic for us to discuss, at least, I find it interesting. But anyway, if you dont, you can close the thread. Question is already answered.
The moral of the story is that different countries have different laws.
Whether you are foreigner whose country has different laws, or a resident of the country but that has laws you object to, you are not exempted from obeying those laws when you are on the territory where they are in force.
Simple as that.
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