MP SAYS TORY GOVERNMENT HAS NO PLANS TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

Anti-Drug Strategy Aims to Make Communities Safer And Healthier

Editor:

Re: Mayors come up with way to increase taxes, reduce crime, Community
Comment, Dec. 2

Ian Robertson asks if I support making marijuana as readily accessible
in our community as tobacco or alcohol.

I don't and our government does not intend to decriminalize or
legalize marijuana.

The government of Canada continues its efforts under the National
Anti-Drug Strategy, which focuses on prevention and access to
treatment for those with drug dependencies, while at the same time
getting tough on drug dealers and producers who threaten the safety of
our youth and communities. It is made up of three action plans:

. The Prevention Action Plan, which aims to prevent illicit drug use;

. The Treatment Action Plan, which aims to treat those with drug
dependencies; and

. The Enforcement Action Plan, which aims to combat the production and
distribution of illicit drugs.

The federal government is working closely with all levels of
government and agencies to ensure our strategy helps to make Canada's
communities safer and healthier.

In addition, as part of the National Anti-Drug Strategy, our
government implemented a nationwide awareness campaign to educate and
dissuade young people from using drugs.

As a further measure, the House of Commons has just passed the Safe
Streets and Communities Act to crack down on serious drug crimes by
establishing mandatory minimum penalties for serious drug offences
when they are carried out for organized crime purposes, or if they
involve the use or threat of violence, or target youth.

Gangs and criminal organizations pose a serious threat to the safety
of our children, neighbourhoods and property. The production and
trafficking in illicit drugs is the most significant source of money
for gangs and organized crime.

Surrey fire chief Len Garis advised the House of Commons Justice
Committee that his firefighters were attending about 1.3 fires per
month that were caused by marijuana grow-ops. That's 13 to 16 a year.

Grow-ops, he said, are 24 times more likely to catch fire than a home
without one. He also advised that 85 per cent of the marijuana that is
grown in B.C. is connected with organized crime.

Our government believes criminals who commit serious drug crimes
should get sentences that reflect the severity of their crimes. We
want to protect our youth from gangs that seek out young people, get
them addicted to drugs and use them to commit crimes.

Police and firefighters often recount stories of homes used for
grow-ops and meth labs catching fire and exploding. This constitutes a
significant threat to their safety and the safety of the community.

Drug lords do not build strong communities. Our message to them is
clear: if convicted, they will pay with jail time.

Few, if any, neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland have escaped the
scourge of marijuana grow-ops and the associated asset damage,
criminal activity and violence. A 2008 Department of Justice study
estimated the cost of crime in Canada, for that year alone, at just
under $100 billion; over 80 per cent of this cost is borne by victims.

Canadians can count on us to continue standing up for law-abiding citizens.

Kerry-Lynne Findlay

MP, Delta-Richmond East