Canada - Bill C-15 Passes House With Support of Liberals

[Richi]

Jeremiah Vandermeer, Cannabis Culture. Posted on Tuesday, June 9 2009


CANNABIS CULTURE - Controversial drug bill C-15, which includes mandatory minimum jail sentences for small amounts of marijuana, passed the Canadian House of Commons yesterday with the support of both Liberal and Conservative parties. The bill now moves to the Senate for a final vote.
Health experts and activists criticized the bill for including mandatory sentences, which have been proven ineffective and destructive time and again in studies.

Despite a backlash from the NDP and some Liberal members in the days before the final vote, the majority of Liberals supported the bill, which passed with a vote of 194 to 54. The bill needs only Senate support to become law.

"We are now going down a path that the Americans went down 25 years ago," said Kirk Tousaw, Executive Director of the Beyond Prohibition Foundation, "and are now abandoning because of the incredible devastation that these kinds of sentences have caused to their criminal justice system and to the social fabric of their communities."
If passed, the bill would enact a number of minimum sentences for drug crimes, including an automatic six month jail term for as few as five plants. The bill has been lambasted for targeting first time drug offenders and small-time dealers and users, instead of focusing on high-level producers and distributors.

"Mid and upper-level traffickers will get no particular increase in punishment, because a major dealer would already get six months or a year for any kind of trafficking," said Vancouver marijuana activist (and CC editor) Marc Emery. "What we’re going to see is people who wouldn’t normally go to jail, they’re going to be the people affected. Largely young people in schoolyards - because if you are dealing around a school, it’s an enhanced penalty. The enhanced penalties of six months, a year, two years, are going to affect, almost exclusively, people under the age of twenty-five."


If passed, the bill will undoubtedly fill Canada's already overtaxed prison system with non-violent offenders, and demand more police for proper enforcement.

[former]

They won't legalize it. The big drug companies want to control it. Lot's of corruption in the Canadian Legal system from parliment down. If you think I'm wrong...name me ONE honest Canadian politician..all crooks. The last great Canadian MP was Tommy Douglas. Shame!

[Richi]

Originally Posted by former

They won't legalize it. The big drug companies want to control it. Lot's of corruption in the Canadian Legal system from parliment down. If you think I'm wrong...name me ONE honest Canadian politician..all crooks. The last great Canadian MP was Tommy Douglas. Shame!

It's attitudes like this that are detrimental to the progress we have made, and are making towards a sensible drug policy. Such negativity does not do any good, but rather harms the motive of many others who are working towards educating the public and the government.

Instead of admitting failure before the game's even over, how about doing something productive like e-mail or calling your member of parliament, regardless of country, and asking them for the time of day to discuss drug laws and the ways in which they could be improved? Or how about hitting the streets with posters and fliers and educating your fellow citizens about the truth of the drug war we are all part of.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good point to others

[Waffa]

Originally Posted by Richi

It's attitudes like this that are detrimental to the progress we have made, and are making towards a sensible drug policy. Such negativity does not do any good, but rather harms the motive of many others who are working towards educating the public and the government.
.

Great point, could not say it better!

I always tell people DO SOMETHING about it instead of crying that everything is epic fail