May. 26, 2010 - Issue #762: Timeland
Pot of controversy
Conservative government re-introduces anti-marijuana bill
A controversial bill regarding the growing of marijuana plants has been re-introduced by the Conservatives to the Senate for the third time, after two previous bills were gutted by the upper house. Bill S-10 as it is now known replaces former Bill C-15 and C-26 and proposes mandatory jail time of six months to a year for those caught growing between six and 200 plants for the purposes of trafficking the drug, for involvement with organized or violent crime, or for soliciting youth. The bill specifically targets gangs and other organized criminal groups who participate in the illegal drug trade.
On May 5, Minister of Justice Rob Nicholson's office introduced the bill directly to the Senate, stating, "Our government's message is clear: drug lords should pay with jail time. Canadians can count on us to continue standing up for law-abiding citizens. We will denounce any tactics that may weaken or obstruct this important legislation.Illicit drug production is the most significant source of money for gangs and organized crime in Canada," Minister Nicholson added. "This legislation is essential to assist law enforcement agencies in cracking down on drug producers and dealers who threaten the safety of our children, neighbourhoods and communities." Cannabis activists and like-minded concerned citizens have voiced concern over the proposed bill which threatens to roll small growers and users up in the same company as organized criminals and big time drug traffickers—a charge and jail time that doesn't match the crime, some local activists worry.
"The reasons [the Conservatives] are putting this forward, saying organized crime is using small housing units to grow five plants—this just isn't so," points out cannabis activist and concerned citizen Sonik (who asked to go by the moniker). "There are no instances of huge organized crime creating these wide networks of small five-plant growers. It doesn't work like that. People grow five or six plants because they're tired of paying $200 for an ounce of foliage." For Sonik and fellow activist Sarah (who asked to have her last name withheld), small-time users of marijuana are already frustrated by the Conservatives' increasing penchant for legislation on an issue they see as already over-policed, overly-costly and long overdue for decriminalization and legalization. With the recent extradition hearings for Marc Emery and previous bills, aggressive Conservative legislation with regards to pot only adds fuel to the fire.
"I think there's a growing trend where they're trying to make marijuana more criminal, whereas I think they should try to be more proactive in regulating it and focus on decriminalization because this bill is a waste of our tax money," Sarah defends. "If I wanted to grow a plant for my own personal use, don't you think that's safer and more responsible than going out on the street and buying it?"
Whether you use cannabis or not, the implications of such strict legislation affects all Canadians, Sonik and Sarah note, as it clogs Canada's legal systems with minor infractions, wasting taxpayers' money. Moreover, the criminalization of marijuana only serves to put money into the hands of organized criminals and high-volume traffickers—the very offenders it seeks to put away."Every time they impose a law that causes cannabis to become more scarce, it increases the cost of it. It's supply and demand," Sonik points out. "These [drug traffickers] are just making more money, and you're giving the money to organized crime."
Most dishearteningly, believes Sarah, is the political leveraging the Conservatives use to discredit the opposition instead of approaching the issue from a more liberal standpoint—one that the Liberals themselves introduced in 2000."A Senate report from 2000 actually pushed for the legalization of marijuana," Sarah explains. "When the Liberal government was in power, they were for the legalization, and once Harper was elected, he simply dismissed all that work."
"It's a difficult game to play politically, because if the Liberals don't sign on, they're seen as being soft on organized crime," adds Sonik. "But this bill is actually great for crime, for people who profit off the drug industry."
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