Drug dealers would face mandatory jail time under a new Conservative anti-narcotics bill designed to toughen existing penalties under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
'With today's bill, we are saying that serious drug crimes will mean serious jail time.'—Justice Minister Rob Nicholson
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson introduced the legislation in Ottawa on Tuesday, saying the stricter measures underscore the seriousness with which the Conservative government takes illegal drug matters.
Nicholson said the proposed legislation will clear up "mixed messages" Canadians may have under the current CDSA, which does not include minimum penalties.
"With today's bill, we are saying that serious drug crimes will mean serious jail time," Nicholson told a news conference in Ottawa.
The amendments to the CDSA would impose a one-year mandatory prison sentence for anyone selling marijuana as part of an organized gang, or when a weapon or violence is involved.
For those dealing harder drugs such as cocaine or heroin to youths or near schools, prison sentences would be two years. A two-year prison sentence would also be mandatory for operating marijuana grow-ops of 500 plants or more.
The maximum prison sentence for marijuana growers would double to 14 years from seven years.
"We've made very clear that those individuals who are in the business of exploiting other people through organized crime … that we want to get serious with those individuals and send out the right message to them," Nicholson said.
If passed, the bill would also introduce tougher penalties for trafficking so-called date-rape drugs.
The legislation also contains an exemption from mandatory sentence if an offender with a drug addiction successfully completes what's called a drug treatment court program.
Participants in the program would attend counselling sessions, receive medical treatment and be subject to random drug tests. A judge reviews their progress, with the goal of the participants ultimately obtaining social stability and control over their addictions.
With files from the Canadian PressRelated
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