Pubdate: Sun, 04 Dec 2005 Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Copyright: 2005, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: http://www.canoe.com/NewsStand/EdmontonSun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135 Author: Ajay Bhardwaj Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing) PRISONERS' ADVOCATE SLAMS TORY PLAN Harper Wants 'Serious' Sentences For Traffickers The federal Tories plan to get tough on crime by imposing mandatory minimum jail time. But the head of a prisoners' advocacy group says the plan will only put more people behind bars and won't address the problems of drug use. Stephen Harper's Conservatives are calling for mandatory minimum sentences of two years for offenders involved with trafficking, importing, exporting or producing drugs like heroin, cocaine, crystal meth and more than three kilograms of marijuana or hashish. "Criminals who are growing marijuana in grow ops, manufacturing crystal meth in drug labs or selling crack cocaine in our streets have to know that if they are caught, they will not get a slap on the wrist," Harper said in a media release. "They will go to jail and serve serious time." Edmonton-Strathcona Conservative candidate Rahim Jaffer said the proposed changes will deter drug trafficking. "I think it would have a real deterring effect," said Jaffer, adding the justice system doesn't come down hard enough on repeat offenders. "This will send a message to people trafficking drugs that they'll be stuck in jail and that the government is going to lock them away." Brad Odsen, executive director of the John Howard Society of Alberta, called Harper's plan ill conceived. He said a similar strategy in the war on drugs in the U.S. has done little to stop the flow of drugs into communities. "It has not had any impact on the use of drugs but it has criminalized a section of the population and filled up jails," he said. "What happens to those people when they get out of jail? And they will get out of jail." Keith Brownsey, who teaches political science at Calgary's Mount Royal College, says he's not sure Harper's plan will be a big hit with all Canadians. "There is a large segment of the population who would like to see the decriminalization of marijuana," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman