(Canada) Few pot growers go to jail, but that could change

[alp227]

Source: Canadian Press

Only about one of every six people convicted in marijuana grow-op cases goes to jail, says a newly released Justice Department study.

The finding suggests the new minimum-sentence provisions in the Conservative government's omnibus crime bill could dramatically increase the number of people behind bars for running grow-ops.

Bill C-10, now before a House of Commons committee, would impose a minimum sentence of six months in jail for anyone growing between six and 200 marijuana plants. Minimum terms increase in steps to two years for higher quantities, with even more severe terms for using rented premises.

The Justice Department examined court cases involving indoor grow-ops in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario between 1997 and 2005, a study billed as unique because it was multi-jurisdictional and included criminal records from a police database. The cases were chosen randomly from all such prosecutions over the eight-year period.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/10/25/pol-grow-ops-jail.html

[defendandprotect]

1. We need a stronger push to end this Drug War -- lots of $$$ being made by elites/gov't officials --!

[AlbertCat]

2. What IS it????

White collar bankers & politicians are too much trouble to arrest, so everyone's going for the low hanging fruit?

Is there any problem less a problem than pot? (besides SS and how to fix the economy with taxing the uber-rich and cutting defense? But this is about Canada after all)

[knightmaar]

3. There are REAL problems there

1. The secret use of rented premises. The mold from the excess humidity is often very expensive to repair and often permanently lowers the value of the house. That is pretty unfair to landlords.
2. Power hijacking. A lot of people who grow marijuana this way steal electricity from either Hydro (the utility company) or the neighbours.

If you're not doing either of these things - situations that could be avoided with legalization - and your costs are fully internalized, I really don't have a problem with potheads and their crops.

[haele]

6. You saw the Holmes on Homes about fixing a rented "pot grow" house?

The poor lady who had rented her family home out to "a nice couple" while she was out of town would have been out of pocket close to $200K just to make her home safely habitable again (not fancied up like the one Holmes left her with), and would have been liable for around $50K in utility fines from the operation's stealing of un-metered power for the year they lived there if the metered power had been in her name instead of the renter's names. Not only was there a huge amount of mold and deterioration, they screwed with the house electrical, venting and structure so that no one could ever live there again without a serious risk of fire, sickness, or collapse.
She was financially and legally devastated, if Holmes hadn't stepped in, she would have lost her family home, just because of that "nice couple" and their illegal activities in her house.

Like you (and probably like the Canadian Government), I have no problem with a grow location in, say, a warehouse that is built to handle the moisture and the power wasn't jacked from the feed line prior to the meter.

Unfortunately, I suspect that there would still be grow houses like this even with legalization of cannabis, because there are people out there that don't care if they screw up a living place if they could make a more of a profit that way. Much like there are still moonshiners and illegal alcohol distilleries and gang/mob black market operations providing "goods" to people at a highly inflated mark-up.

Haele

[Uncle Joe]

8. If cannabis were legalized, the profit motive would be reduced as would the value of the product.

People could go to the liquor store and purchase it, more people could grow it outside as well so long as it was in a fenced off area.

[Donny]

4. The Drug War - Sleight of hand

Arrest the users and small dealers, in order to protect the cartels which enrich the powers that be.

:grr:

[Crowman1979]

5. Well I guess I'll have to end my immigration move to Canada.

:-(

[MedicalAdmin]

7. Trust me, this will never fly long term, if it passes.

The harper government is signaling loud and clear that they don't want to stay in office.

Move to Canada as long as you are going to be a productive and contributing member of society and you will do just fine.