Pubdate: Thu, 10 Feb 2011 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2011 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Author: Meagan Fitzpatrick Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Rob+Nicholson DRUG BILL GOING UP IN SMOKE? Liberals Won't Support Law for Jail Time OTTAWA -- The Conservative government's controversial bill that would impose mandatory jail time for offenders caught growing a handful of marijuana plants appears headed to the trash can. The Liberals announced Wednesday they will not support Bill S-10, which has already been passed by the Senate. "I'm very disappointed that they have had this complete flip-flop," Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said. The Liberals, who supported previous versions of the bill, now say it would excessively punish some people for minor offences and would cost too much to implement because it will jam prisons that are already filled to the brink. The Conservatives have said they will spend $2 billion over the next five years to expand prisons. "We just think this is bad criminal justice policy," Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff told reporters Wednesday. "It's going to cost this country billions of dollars. We think it's the wrong way to go." The NDP and Bloc Quebecois have always been against the bill, first introduced in 2008, but the Liberals helped the Tories pass it through the House of Commons and onto the Senate in December 2009. Liberals in the upper chamber watered the bill down and it was in its final stages when Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament, killing the legislation. A new bill -- closer to the original version that ignored the Liberal amendment -- was introduced in the Senate in May 2010. The Liberal senators tried again to amend the bill at the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee but failed after losing their majority in the upper chamber. The bill passed on Dec. 13, 2010. It's now in the hands of MPs and on Wednesday the government put S-10 on notice, meaning it could be raised for debate in the next few days. That move prompted the Liberals to announce their new position, which effectively seals the fate of the bill and will force the Tories to start from scratch, again. Nicholson said he isn't prepared to accept the bill is headed for defeat. He's hoping enough Liberals will break party ranks and defy Ignatieff, siding instead with the government. While the Liberals say the bill could unfairly target young people, Nicholson said the proposed changes to the existing laws are aimed squarely at drug traffickers and organized crime. The bill would impose a mandatory minimum sentence of six months in jail for an offender convicted of growing between five and 201 marijuana plants for the purpose of trafficking. The more plants that are grown, the longer the minimum sentence. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake