Mandatory Minimums

DrugSense

Globe and Mail, 19 Feb 2012 - Geoff Plant has felt for years that the prohibition of marijuana is wrong. Now that the former B.C. attorney-general is out of government, he has joined the chorus of officials and former politicians pushing for the legalization of the drug. "I have always had a problem with the idea that the state should criminalize an act which is essentially no more complex than putting a couple of seeds in your back yard, waiting a while and then, when something grows, you put it in your pocket, you chew it or you smoke it," Mr. Plant said.

Surrey Leader, 16 Feb 2012 - A coordinated push to legalize marijuana has gained the backing of four former B.C. attorneys-general, including B.C. Liberal Geoff Plant. The four - who include former NDP A-Gs Colin Gabelmann, Ujjal Dosanjh and Graeme Bowbrick - signed a letter to Premier Christy Clark and Opposition leader Adrian Dix calling for the regulation and taxation of cannabis to combat organized crime.

Missoulian, 18 Feb 2012 - When federal agents raided medical marijuana businesses around Montana last year, the consequences for those indicted as a result seemed dire. They faced mandatory minimum sentences of at least five years in prison on some charges, with maximum penalties of 40 years and fines ranging as high as $5 million.

North Shore News, 15 Feb 2012 - FOUR former attorneys general of British Columbia have coauthored a letter asking Premier Christy Clark and Opposition leader Adrian Dix to endorse an end to marijuana prohibition. Colin Gabelmann, Ujjal Dosanjh, Graeme Bowbrick and Geoff Plant represent an unusual alignment of former senior cabinet ministers: three NDP politicians, one a premier, and one B.C. Liberal. Old-timers here will remember that North VancouverSeymour was an NDP riding in the early 1970s, represented by Gabelmann.

Richmond News, 17 Feb 2012 - Four former attorneys general of British Columbia have co-authored a letter asking Premier Christy Clark and Opposition leader Adrian Dix to endorse an end to marijuana prohibition. Colin Gabelmann, Ujjal Dosanjh, Graeme Bowbrick and Geoff Plant represent an unusual alignment of former senior cabinet ministers: three NDP politicians, one a premier and one a B.C. Liberal.

Globe and Mail, 15 Feb 2012 - "I am going to leave the marijuana debate to the federal government. It's in their sole sphere of responsibility," B.C. Premier Christy Clark told reporters after former attorneys-general call for legalization of marijuana. The chorus of voices calling for a change in the marijuana laws is growing louder in B.C. as the federal government moves in the opposite direction, advocating mandatory minimum sentences.

Globe and Mail, 15 Feb 2012 - The four former B.C. attorneys-general who spoke out this week for marijuana legalization, likening the current policy to U.S. Prohibition, have a point. Prohibition didn't deter drinking and was a boon to organized crime. Sounds very much like the war on marijuana. Attorneys-general occupy a privileged dual position - leaders in partisan politics while also being responsible for giving objective legal advice, and protecting the integrity of the legal system. If Geoff Plant, Graeme Bowbrick, Ujjal Dosanjh (also a B.C. premier) and Colin Gabelmann, who collectively prosecuted marijuana users for 15 years, don't perceive a benefit, is there a benefit?

Toronto Star, 05 Feb 2012 - OTTAWA--Media reports that some pot growers will face harsher mandatory-minimum sentences than child rapists under the Conservative government's new crime bill were enough to catch the attention of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. A request by The Canadian Press for cabinet records on the controversial omnibus crime legislation turned up a single document - -- much of it blacked out under a broad, discretionary exemption in the Access to Information Act.

Globe and Mail, 03 Feb 2012 - If everything is on the table - including the Old Age Security benefit of roughly $540 a month - why do the billions of dollars being added to the federal corrections budget feel untouchable? As the Senate begins hearings on the government's omnibus crime bill, and the almost certain prospect of huge, long-term budgetary increases in the jails moves a step closer, it seems an odd juxtaposition: trying to ensure the long-term health of the retirement security system, and spending like crazy, in the short, medium and long terms, on prison cells.

Globe and Mail, 02 Feb 2012 - The Conservative government's massive new crime bill runs counter to a Supreme Court of Canada ruling on aboriginal justice, Nunavut's justice minister said Thursday. New mandatory minimum sentences will overburden the territory's courts and corrections system and fly in the face of Criminal Code provisions on the treatment of aboriginal offenders, Daniel Shewchuk told the Senate's legal and constitutional affairs committee.

Toronto Star, 29 Jan 2012 - For 20 years there's been a troubling disconnect between the reality of crime in Canada and people's fear of it. The persistent "" though mistaken "" view that crime is on the rise has allowed governments to push through ever more "oetough-on-crime" laws. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives have taken this to extremes. The omnibus Bill C-10 before the Senate right now will foist enormous and unnecessary costs on taxpayers.

Toronto Star, 23 Jan 2012 - Ottawa is stiffing Ontario with the $1 billion cost of implementing sweeping crime changes, the provincial government says. The new federal omnibus crime legislation will add another 1,500 prisoners in the corrections system, force the building of another prison and put pressure on parole officers, according to the ministry of community safety and correctional services. Bill C-10 received third reading in Parliament last month and is now before the Senate.

Toronto Star, 20 Jan 2012 - The real-life story of a Brampton man who was given a reprieve by a judge and turned his life around could soon be fodder for fables. And that's because Bill C10, expected to pass into law in Canada by the end of March, will make second chances a thing of the past. Instead, the bill's mandatory minimum sentences will make sure that people like Maxwell Beech go to jail.

Globe and Mail, 18 Jan 2012 - The Liberal Party policy conference last weekend suggested the party is serious about rebuilding and is open to new faces and new ideas. The election of Mike Crawley as party president and the adoption of a more open leadership selection format are welcome signs of renewal. One goal must be to better differentiate the party from the ruling Conservatives, and in that respect, a new policy on cannabis legalization represents a start.

Capital Xtra!, 19 Jan 2012 - HEALTH / Activists Say Federal Omnibus Bill Will Put Drug Users, Prisoners at Greater Risk Local advocates for successful harm-reduction programs are arguing that the federal omnibus crime bill places drug users at a higher risk of contracting diseases like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

Daily Press, 19 Jan 2012 - Gov. Also Looks to Expand Drug Courts As Part of Public Safety Agenda RICHMOND -- Gov. Bob McDonnell announced his public safety agenda for the General Assembly session Thursday which includes increased sentences for repeat drug dealers, expansion of local drug courts and an alternative program for non-violent offenders who violate probation.

Rethinking Schools, 16 Jan 2012 - "Harm comes from prior harm." As Deandra says this, I am sitting in the back of my classroom, taking notes. My students are sitting in a circle in the middle of the room, talking to each other about the questions on the board: "What is the purpose of prison? Do prisons work?" In front of them are annotated readings, lecture notes, and typed response papers. They seem to have forgotten that I am there. Deandra and Lee are discussing what would happen if there were no prisons. Deandra has just finished telling the story of a boy who, fearful of his abusive father, suffocates a girl rather than get in trouble for having a guest over when he is not supposed to. In this case, who should be punished? The boy who is clearly old enough to know his actions are wrong? The father who has instilled such tremendous fear in his son?

Coast Reporter, 06 Jan 2012 - MAKING CANNABIS POLICY WORK Over the past 20 years, governments have financed successive law enforcement efforts aiming to address the proliferation of cannabis use and distribution. Those strategies have rarely been properly evaluated and have made the situation worse in many ways.