Pubdate: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2004 The Calgary Sun Contact: http://www.fyicalgary.com/calsun.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67 Author: Kathleen Harris, Ottawa Bureau Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) FEDS TARGET GROW-OPS Deputy PM Tells Judges To Get Tough OTTAWA - Canada's pot reform laws will toughen penalties to combat dangerous marijuana grow-ops -- but judges also need a lesson about the gravity of the crime, says Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan. Responding to a Sun Media story about chronically lenient sentences for large-scale growing operators, the deputy prime minister said more judicial education is required. "We need to help judges understand how absolutely serious this is -- the social costs, the economic costs, and quite truthfully, the danger to the lives and safety of first responders when they go into these houses," she told Sun Media. "This is not a crime that should be taken lightly. This is not a victimless crime." Surprised by statistics from B.C. showing the odds of going to jail are less than 1-in-100, McLellan noted the retabled marijuana decriminalization bill doubles the maximum prison term for grow-ops. It also requires judges to issue written reasons for not giving a jail sentence when there are "aggravating" factors such as booby traps, repeat offences or established links to organized crime. "One of the reasons we're amending the Criminal Code is because we believe this is a serious crime, and we believe courts must treat it as a serious crime," McLellan said. But Conservative Justice critic Vic Toews slammed the cannabis reform bill as "inadequate" and "more lip service than action." The crackdown is a Liberal ploy to give the appearance of tackling the problem, he charged. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek