Illicit Drug Crimes Equals Prison
New legislation was passed for mandatory prison sentences to be carried out for crimes related to drugs. “The Government is fighting back against gangs and other organized criminal groups by introducing new crime laws that target drug crimes, gangs and organized crime,” said the Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. The main focus is for mandatory jail for those who sell and produce drugs. The government of Canada wants to ensure that Canadians have safe communities and secure neighbourhoods.
These changes will be made to the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act (CDSA). The primary change is to impose mandatory jail time for those who are convicted of selling or producing drugs of any kind. In the act there is special attention put towards organized crime and the people involved in organized crime who sell and produce drugs, especially towards minors or the youth of Canada. On the nationalantidrugstrategy.gc.ca website the government has outlined the changes to this specific piece of legislation. It will include the following:
- A one-year mandatory prison sentence for dealing drugs such as marijuana, when carried out for organized crime purposes or when a weapon or violence is involved;
- A two-year mandatory prison sentence for dealing drugs such as cocaine, heroin or methamphetamines to youth, or for dealing those drugs near a school or in an area normally frequented by youth;
- A two-year mandatory prison sentence for the offence of running a large marijuana grow operation involving at least 500 plants;
- Increased maximum penalties for cannabis production from 7 years to 14 years imprisonment; and,
Tougher penalties for trafficking GHB and flunitrazepam, most commonly known as date-rape drugs.
