The Conservative government is proposing mandatory minimums for selling and growing cannabis. A 6-month mandatory sentence is being proposed for growing ONE plant! This is insane!
View a chart of the proposed sentencing
View a More Information on Bill C-15 (formerly Bill C-26)
Canada was considering decriminalization a few years ago and now Stephen Harper wants to fill prisons with ordinary Canadians for low-level non-violent offences! He's taking Canada backwards!
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Cannabis prohibition simply doesn't work and it never will.
It's expensive, ineffective and causing significant harm to Canadian society.
Canadian taxpayers are paying $1.5 billion each year to enforce cannabis prohibition laws even though 65% of Canadians want the government to deal with drug use as a health matter not a criminal matter. [Angus Reid poll 2007]
60,000 Canadians are charged with cannabis-related offenses each year, and since the Conservatives have been in power simple possession arrests have increased by 20% - 50% in some Canadian cities.
Pot busts bounce back - July 9, 2007, Toronto Star
The number of people arrested for smoking pot rose dramatically in several Canadian cities last year after the Conservatives took office and killed a bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.
Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Halifax reported increases [in simple possession arrests] of between 20 and 50 per cent in 2006. |
| Some ways cannabis prohibition harms society: |
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Subsidizes organized crime by relegating cannabis production and sales to the black market. |
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Provides no quality controls or accurate product information. |
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Brings many more people into contact with the black market. |
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Makes it easier for kids to buy drugs (unregulated) than either alcohol or tobacco. |
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Diverts valuable police resources away from more serious matters. |
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Engenders disrespect for the police and laws in general. |
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Used to justify large police budgets and sweeping powers. |
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Can lead to reductions in civil rights and civil liberties. |
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A criminal record reduces employment options and can prevent international travel |
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