FEDS STILL TOUGH ON DRUGS

Federal Attorney-General Rob Nicholson toured a makeshift marijuana
grow-op in Vancouver yesterday as he continued his "tough on crime" campaign.

The Conservative MP was given a demonstration of the hazards caused
by drug operations at the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service's training academy.

After the photo-op, Nicholson urged senators and opposition MPs to
pass Bill C-15, a piece of legislation that would impose mandatory
penalties for drug producers.

"[The bill] is stuck in the senate and I want to see this bill passed
as soon as possible," he said. "This doesn't target the people who
have become addicted to drugs, it targets people involved in
trafficking and organized crime."

Nicholson said grow-ops and meth labs directly pump money into
organized crime and fuel gang violence.

"This is exactly what the country needs at this time," he continued.
"We have to send out the right message."

The bill included automatic one-year jail time for those found guilty
of producing marijuana, and two years for those producing crystal
meth and other hard drugs.

Vancouver's fire and police departments endorsed the C-15 yesterday.

"We're coming across these grow-ops and labs on average twice a
week," said acting deputy fire chief Tim Armstrong.