Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 Source: Beacon Herald, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2009 Osprey Media Group Inc. Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/ytFEC49J Website: http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1459 JUDGES NEED TO FIGHT DRUG WAR TOO Just over three years ago the Perth County Meth Task Force was struck to deal with what was clearly a crisis in this part of the country. In one year, police broke up 15 meth labs in Perth County and in many of those cases our first responders -- firefighters, paramedics and police -- were being put in danger as they arrived at fires and explosions at meth labs. The presence of meth labs impacted neighbourhoods and landlords and put an incredible amount of stress on our police forces and courts as arrests and charges related to meth production became commonplace. So in 2005, different levels of government worked together to form the Perth County Meth Task Force. In announcing the provincial funding, our MPP John Wilkinson said "we're going to figure out how to run that drug out of this county." Thirty major stakeholders, including police, locally and provincially elected officials, the health care sector, schools and mental health agencies all joined together to make up the Task Force. Provincial funding totalling $1 million paid for the pilot project and within years, the task force began to show results. Last October, during a conference here, the Perth County Meth Task Force was held up as a shining example of how different elements of society can work together to reach a solution. Meth, while still present in our community, is not anywhere near the widespread epidemic it was before the task force was formed. A lot of hard work went in to beating back the meth problem and it really was a team effort. Sadly, in a few hours, a lot of that work can be undone. While many elements of society gave their heart and soul to addressing the crisis, someone should have sent a memo to the courts and informed them that they too play a role in comprehensive drug strategy. Last week, a confessed drug dealer was in court after she was caught selling cocaine and meth to undercover police officers. She pleaded guilty to seven counts of drug trafficking and two counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Undercover officers purchased 11.8 grams of cocaine and 23.3 grams of meth from the woman and the Crown wanted the woman sent to prison for as much as three years and local drug counselling centre Choices for Change, which has been on the frontlines of the war on meth around here submitted a report to the court which said meth has impacted the community "like nothing we have seen before." Unmoved, the judge gave the women two years, less a day, of house arrest. Reason being, since the arrest she had turned her life around and showed remorse and the judge also cited the fact she had no previous convictions. That clean record somehow carried more weight than the guilty plea of seven counts of drug trafficking. Judges and courts like to make decisions by precedent so there is one for all those criminals out there to hold up. If arrested, regardless of how heinous and insidious the crime is, just hurry up and turn your life around by the time you get sentenced. The decriminalization of marijuana in Canada was a matter of great debate about five years ago. The theory behind those changes to the criminal code was that police and judges should worry less about users and more about dealers. Again, so much for that idea. Then in 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a new national anti-drug strategy. The proposed bill, which did not become law, would have also targeted dealers with stiff sentences for dealers and producers. For example, a large scale grower of marijuana (500 plants) would face a minimum of two years in prison and possibly as many as 14. Meanwhile, in Stratford, you get house arrest for seven counts of selling cocaine and meth. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom