CRACKING DOWN ON DRUGS SPARKS 'TURF WARS'

OTTAWA -- The federal Conservatives hope legislation introduced
Tuesday will eventually crack down on drug dealers and change the
lives of addicts who want to go clean.

But at least one critic predicts the bill -- if it passes -- will only
increase violent crime between rival drug gangs and overload Canada's
prisons.

The proposed changes to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act would
impose mandatory minimum prison sentences on anyone convicted of
trafficking illegal drugs.

"Drug producers and dealers who threaten the safety of our communities
must face tougher penalties," Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said.

Among the proposed amendments, the Tories want to impose two-year
mandatory prison sentences on people convicted of trafficking hard
drugs such as cocaine and heroin, or those who run large marijuana
grow operations of at least 500 plants.

If passed, the legislation would also see mandatory jail sentences of
one year for selling marijuana as part of an organized criminal gang
or when a weapon or violence is involved. "We're sending the message
that ... we are serious about serious time for that kind of serious
crime," Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said.

"Our communities should not become battlegrounds for drug-related
violence."

However, that's just what Canadians will get with mandatory prison
sentences, Craig Jones, director of the John Howard Society, predicted.

"What happens when you crack down on crime, particularly drug crime,
is that you provoke turf wars between rival gangs of traffickers," Mr.
Jones said from Kingston.