JUDGES URGED TO GET TOUGH ON GROW OPS

OTTAWA -- Canada's new pot reform laws will toughen penalties to combat
dangerous marijuana grow ops -- but judges also need a lesson about the
gravity of the crime, said Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan. Responding
to a Toronto Sun story about chronically lenient sentences for large-scale
growing operators, the Deputy Prime Minister said more judicial education
is required.

"We need to help judges understand how absolutely serious this is -- the
social costs, the economic costs and quite truthfully, the danger to the
lives and safety of first responders when they go into these houses," she
told Sun Media. "This is not a crime that should be taken lightly. This is
not a victimless crime."

Surprised by statistics from British Columbia showing the odds of going to
jail are less than 1-in-100, McLellan noted the retabled marijuana
decriminalization bill doubles the maximum prison term for grow ops. It
also requires judges to issue written reasons for not giving a jail
sentence when there are "aggravating" factors such as booby traps, repeat
offences or established links to organized crime.

"One of the reasons we're amending the Criminal Code is because we believe
this is a serious crime, and we believe courts must treat it as a serious
crime," McLellan said.

But Conservative Justice critic Vic Toews slammed the cannabis reform bill
as "inadequate" and "more lip service than action." The so-called crackdown
is a typical Liberal ploy to give the false appearance of tackling the
problem, he charged.

"They know full well the courts don't even impose the present maximum
sentences," he said. "If they're really serious about addressing the issue,
they need to impose mandatory minimum prison terms."

Failing to have tough mandatory minimum sentences on the books only
encourages a revolving door of criminal grow operators, who set up shop
again after just a few months behind bars.