TORY BILL SEEKS JAIL TERMS FOR DRUG-RELATED CRIMES

The Conservative government revived a bill Friday to impose automatic
jail terms for drug-related crimes, which would send people to jail
for growing as little as one marijuana plant for the purpose of
trafficking.

The proposed legislation, which Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said is
designed to target organized crime, mirrors a 2007 bill that died when
the Oct. 14 general election was called.

"Mandatory prison sentences are appropriate for those who commit
serious drug offences threatening our society," Nicholson said in
Vancouver, where a spate of shootings in the last month has been
blamed on gangs and the drug trade.

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

There also would be a one-year mandatory jail sentence for marijuana
dealing when it's 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.