TOUGHER DRUG-CRIMES LAW REVIVED

Tenants caught growing as few as six marijuana plants in their
dwellings could face automatic jail terms of at least nine months,
under a federal drug-sentencing bill revived yesterday that imposes
harsher penalties on home renters than on owners.

The bill, introduced for the third time after dying twice before,
proposes mandatory minimum jail terms for a variety of drug-related
crimes, removing discretion for judges to sentence as they see fit.

The federal government's proposed legislation imposes stiffer
punishment on renters than it does on homeowners, because involving a
third party is one of several aggravating factors.

The bill proposes to impose mandatory minimum terms for other
drug-trafficking crimes, ranging from one to three years.

The bar for being caught growing marijuana for the purpose of
trafficking is generally five plants, which would garner a minimum
six-month jail term.

However, for anyone captured under any of the broad aggravating
factors, the minimum jail term is increased to nine months. It goes up
to a one-year minimum for growing up to 200 plants for the purpose of
selling, and two years for up to 500 plants.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson resurrected his bill in the same form
as it passed in the House of Commons last June, with the support of
the Liberals.

His last bill was in its final stages in the Senate when Prime
Minister Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament in December. An earlier
incarnation of the same bill died when Harper called the 2008 general
election.