C26 Passes to Committee

Bill C26, the Conservatives controversial drug war bill, has passed another vote in the House of Commons, advancing it to committee. Bill C26 includes mandatory minimum sentences of 6 months for people caught growing 1 marijuana plant, extending that sentence to 9 months if the plant is in a rental unit.

Mandatory minimum sentences simply are not an effective deterrent to criminals and indeed function to increase crime. This conclusion has been repeated by economists, criminologists police departments and even our own Justice Department. Even ideological allies of the Conservative party, from the Fraser Institute, the Rand Corporation and economist Milton Friedman have released studies confirming that increasing penalties increases crime without reducing drug use rates.

The Conservative Party ignores this data opting to repeat the same mistakes of the United States Drug War. The “Drug War” policy has led to the highest incarceration rate in the world, with over 1% of adult Americans residing in Jail. At the same time, drug use is higher in the United States than in Europe, where incarceration rates and sentences are much lower. After 30 years of sustained war on marijuana and other substances, usage rates in the United States are higher, as is the level of violent and property crime, than they were prior to the start of the “drug war”.

The Prohibition of Marijuana is a dismal failure, one which has no basis in scientific study or fact. The Canadian Senate studied marijuana for 2 years, concluding that marijuana is not a gateway drug and is not addictive and does not cause harm to society. The Prohibition of Marijuana, alternatively, was found to “jeopardize” Canadian society.

There is no reason for this kind of law. Violent, property and drug crime in Canada is going down every year, and more than half of Canadians want Marijuana legalized and regulated. 92% oppose jail terms for Marijuana. Over 50% of Canadians have tried Marijuana at least once. A legal and regulated market for Marijuana would provide safe access to adults while limiting access by children.

Interviews with teens have found that marijuana is far more easily obtained than Cigarettes or especially alcohol, since those substances are regulated and require ID to purchase. Drug Dealers, on the other hand, never check ID, selling to whomever wishes to purchase their products.

Stephen Harper and the Conservative party are soft on crime. They are attempting to pass laws which would hand billions to criminal gangs while increasing violent and other crime rates. By passing C26, Stephen Harper is ensuring that our children will have access to drugs while ensuring our streets are as dangerous as those in the United States, all while doing nothing to effect drug use rates.