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Law enforcement officers have a tough job. Just when you think they have been given enhanced tools to do their jobs better and get more criminal convictions, more jail time for the guilty, more drugs and weapons off our streets, some politicians change the rules and make things more difficult.
We’re referring to a decision by the Liberal-dominated Senate, who on Wednesday watered down a Conservative law-and-order bill, which was introduced earlier this year. The senators, in their infinite wisdom, eliminated a requirement for marijuana growers who grow as few as five plants to serve mandatory six-month jail terms. By a vote of 49-43, the Senate committee proposed to raise the bar to more than 201 plants, rather than stick with the number proposed by the Conservative government, and adopted in the House of Commons.
After a good deal of work by our politicians and co-operation, something that is quite rare in Ottawa these days, a tough bill that would see small-time growers and dealers get some significant jail time is quashed in a matter of seconds by the Senate. Does this make any sense? Why would the Senate choose to do this? Are they trying to undermine the Conservative government and do some bidding for their Liberal party friends? It would appear so from where we are sitting. What other plausible reason would they have to vote to weaken this bill? If anything the Senate should have voted to strengthen it.
This vote isn’t sitting too well with police officers.
The Vancouver Police Department held an impromptu media conference Wednesday afternoon denouncing the decision. A VPD spokesperson figures that now the small-time dealers, many of whom have taken up shop here on the Sunshine Coast, will take their 200-plus plant operations and scale them down into four or five smaller operations, thus avoiding the threat of jail time if they are caught.
The Street Crew unit of the Sunshine Coast RCMP is very active taking down big and small marijuana grow operations. If the watered-down bill does pass, it means that most of the work done by our local detachment will be for naught. The small-time growers will get a slap on the wrist, might not serve any jail time and will be back on the street setting up their next operation.
No wonder the public has lost so much faith in our political system. It’s just one step forward and two steps back.
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wetcoasters says... 
Six months in jail for five plants? Have you lost your editorial mind?
I agree completely with wetcoasters and Baker. Wasting money and resources on tracking down, prosecuting and arresting growers of five plants is beyond dumb. Traffickers have thousands of plants -- not 5 or 10.
I am 67 years old and haven't had first-hand experience with cannabis for forty years but I know the relentless pursuit of cannibas grower-users has been a failure from the beginning. It will never succeed.
Why? Because you will never be able to convince the majority that marijuana is a "portal" drug or a killer. The sermonizing and hysterical claims fool only the fools.
Posted on December 27, 2009 @ 6:43 pm PST | Report post to Editor | 3047213