Global Ganja Report

The same day that voters in Colorado and Washington state approved the legalization of cannabis, the Stephen Harper government in Ottawa brought into force tough new mandatory penalties for marijuana offenses. The measures are part of the Conservative administration's Bill C-10, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, passed by parliament in March. The new law provides a mandatory six-month term for growing as few as six cannabis plants—twice the mandatory minimum for child molestation, critics point out.

"Today our message is clear that if you are in the business of producing, importing or exporting of drugs, you’ll now face jail time," Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said as the new law took force. But the Canadian Medical Association Journal dissented, running an article by Adelina Iftene and Allan Manson, of the faculty of law at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., warning of dire consequences from Bill C-10. The fallout will be dramatic increases in already overcrowded prisons, "more stress, more volatility and the likelihood of more violence," as well as increased spread of hepatitis, HIV and other infectious diseases, Manson said in an interview. (Canadian Press, Nov. 7; Vancouver Sun, Nov. 6)

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