Pubdate: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 Source: Standard Freeholder (Cornwall, CN ON) Copyright: 2006 Osprey Media Group Inc Contact: http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1169 Author: Terri Saunders LITTLE DETERRENT FOR OPERATIONS LIKE GROW-OPS When four men charged in relation to a deadly shooting last week at an area marijuana grow operation go before the Ontario courts in the coming months, they will face punishments ranging from fines to prison sentences. But police officers tasked with taking criminals off the streets say they're frustrated by what they say is a minimal amount of punishment doled out by a system they believe is trapped in the past. "There is still a sense, somehow, that marijuana is a soft drug not associated with violence," said Det.- Sgt. Paul Henry of the Ontario Provincial Police's drug enforcement section. "We're talking about grow-ops that have thousands of plants and are worth millions of dollars. It's a very violent industry." Crimes associated with drugs such as marijuana fall under the nation's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which includes guidelines on punishment for a variety of offences. Individuals found guilty under the act face a wide range of sentences such as a fine of a few hundred dollars to life behind bars. If a person is found to be in possession of less than 30 grams of a drug such as marijuana and it's a first offence, he or she will likely walk away from court with a fine not exceeding $1,000. A person found to be in possession of more than 30 grams, which would constitute trafficking under the act, could face up to life in prison. When it comes to growing marijuana, offenders are looking at no more than seven years behind bars. Police officers say the sentences are appropriate, but they're rarely handed out to the full extent the act allows. "The penalties these criminals face in our courts are not very stiff," said RCMP Sgt. Denis Pelletier. "Offenders may face fines, probation or short prison terms. It's not exactly a huge deterrent." Across Ontario, courts have consistently handed down light sentences for marijuana-related crimes. A quick review of cases in different parts of the province over the past few months paint a picture of how the matters are dealt with in the justice system. In March, a Cobourg man found guilty of operating a $73,000 indoor grow operation got a year of house arrest after a judge considered the fact the man had a handicapped child, while in July, a Pembroke man got three months of house arrest after officers discovered a grow operation inside the man's home. - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine