STRICTER PENALTIES WOULD BE NICE TOO

It's nice to see some of Alberta's politicians taking a stand against the
infiltration of methamphetamines into their communities.

For those who don't know, two private member's bills aimed at cracking down
on meth use are currently under consideration by the Alberta Legislature.
The first was introduced by Red Deer MLA Mary Ann Jablonski. If passed, it
will allow parents to force their drug addicted children into treatment, a
valuable tool parents have been asking for for some time.

The second bill is slightly more proactive in that it targets the
manufacturing of the drugs and making it harder for dealers to get them on
the streets versus dealing with people who are already addicted. The new
bill, introduced by West Yellowhead MLA Ivan Strang, proposes strict
controls on the sale of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, key ingredients in
cold remedies and in manufacturing methamphetamines. Strang's bill calls for
legal products containing the substances to be put behind the counter at
drug stores to make it harder for meth manufacturers to get them.

Strang's bill is definitely a step in the right direction. Restricting
access to ephedrine and pseudoephedrine is a step many communities in the
United States have already taken in an effort to combat methamphetamine use.

But there's one key ingredient missing from this private member's bill
recipe. While Strang targets manufacturing and Jablonksi targets treatment,
who's targetting the guys who are making and selling methamphetamine to our
kids?

The fact of the matter is that even if we restrict access to the harmful
chemicals used to make meth, it won't stop people from finding new ways to
make it and sell it in our communities or of finding new drugs to bring in.
Until we find effective ways to get drug dealers out of our communities, we
will continue to have to deal with this problem on many different levels.

Unfortunately, it will take more than a private member's bill in the
Legislature to get drug dealers off our streets. It's up to our federal
lawmakers, our Members of Parliament, to make the penalties for peddling
drugs to our children tougher. Do we really expect a federal government that
wants to decriminalize marijuana to enact laws that crack down on drug
dealers?

Of course, even if Parliament did endorse laws with greater penalties for
selling illegal drugs, we still have the hurdle of the judges who are giving
out the penalties. Unless Parliament's new rules increased the minimum
penalty and not just the maximum, there could still be drug dealers who
would be convicted and get away with just a fine, leaving them free to be
out selling drugs across from schools and playgrounds later the same day.

Alberta's MLAs are on the right track, but they'll need help from the feds
to truly crack down on the spread of meth across our province.