IMPRISON POT GROWERS, SELLERS, MINISTER URGES

Canada's justice minister says people who sell or grow marijuana
belong in jail because pot is used as a "currency" to bring harder
drugs into the country.

"This lubricates the business and that makes me nervous," Rob
Nicholson told the Commons justice committee yesterday as he faced
tough questions about a controversial bill to impose automatic prison
sentences for drug crimes, including growing as little as one pot plant.

"Marijuana is the currency that is used to bring other more serious
drugs into the country," the minister said.

Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act currently contains no
mandatory prison sentences and judges use their own discretion about
whether to send drug pushers and growers to jail.

But the Conservatives have proposed legislation which would impose
one-year mandatory jail time for marijuana dealing, when it is linked
to organized crime or a weapon is involved.

The sentence would be increased to two years for dealing drugs such as
cocaine, heroin or methamphetamines to young people, or pushing drugs
near a school or other places frequented by youths.

The proposed legislation would impose six months for growing one to
200 marijuana plants to sell, and two years for big-time growers of
500 plants or more.

The bill is arguably the most controversial piece of justice
legislation introduced by the Conservative and critics have warned
that, if passed, it could flood prisons and jails.

Opposition critics voiced concerns yesterday that a crackdown would
not only target big-time dealers, but would end up sending drug
addicts to provincial prisons, which have few treatment programs in
place.