MINIMUM SENTENCING NOW IN PLACE FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION

Anyone charged with drug crimes will now have to serve a minimum
sentence under the new Bill C-15

On June 8, the House of Commons passed a bill to institute mandatory
minimum sentencing for marijuana and other drug crimes.

Bill C-15 seeks to impose mandatory minimum penalties for marijuana
and other drug offences, including 6 months for 5 marijuana plants.

Marc Emery, the founder of the BC Marijuana Party and publisher of
Cannabis, is currently facing extradition to the United States on
charges of distribution of marijuana seeds.

Recently, Emery announced he intends to plead guilty to the charges in
exchange for a reduced sentence, to be served in the United States.

"Stephen Harper hates the marijuana culture. First they went after me,
now they're renewing their attack on the overall culture," said Emery
in a press release from Cannabis Culture. "If marijuana people don't
stand up against C-15, they'll find their freedom replaced with the
bars of a jail cell."

The bill has been widely criticized by criminal justice experts, who
point to the total failure of mandatory minimum sentencing in the
United States to deter or reduce the amount of drug crimes occurring.