http://openparliament.ca/politicians/david-tilson/
David Tilson
Hill Office
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-995-7813
Fax: 613-992-9789
Mail may be sent postage-free to any Member of Parliament.
Constituency Office(s)
- 229 Broadway Unit 2 Orangeville, Ontario L9W 1K4 Telephone: 519-941-1832 Fax: 519-941-8660
- Hopcroft Plaza, 12596 Highway 50 Bolton, Ontario L7E 1T6 Telephone: 905-857-6080 Fax: 905-857-5570
© House of Commons
.png)
***
Strong oppose
***
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
Government Orders
April 15th, 2008 / 12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Government Orders
April 15th, 2008 / 12:05 p.m.
Conservative
David Tilson
Dufferin—Caledon, ON
"
...
Cannabis is a schedule II
drug and attracts lesser penalties. It is only if at least three
kilograms are involved that trafficking and possession for the purpose
of trafficking are punishable by up to life imprisonment. Production of
cannabis is punishable by up to seven years' imprisonment.
The least severe
penalties, up to 12 months' imprisonment on summary conviction, are
reserved for offences involving substances listed in schedules IV and V.
It should be noted,
however, that most of the prohibited activities in the Controlled Drugs
and Substances Act are legal if committed by someone possessing the
proper licence, permit or exemption.
For example, the
marijuana medical access regulations that came into force on July 30,
2001 provide a comprehensive scheme for sick individuals to apply for
licences to possess or grow marijuana for medical use with the support
of their doctor, or in some cases with the support of a specialist.
There is also a process to apply for a designated person production
licence if the individual is unable to grow the marijuana himself or
herself.
As such, there are
individuals in Canada who are exempted from the production offence
contained in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act who are growing
marijuana within their residences or in their yards.
The amount of plants that
the individual is permitted to produce is derived from a formula tied
to the amount of dried marijuana product which the individual holder of
the permit requires on a daily basis. The amount of plants that the
permit holder is authorized to produce can be quite significant. For
example, it can be in excess of 50 plants.
Some members of the House
may be of the view that serious drug offences do not require a response
such as the one contained in the bill. However, serious drug crime is a
growing problem in Canadian cities and towns and a serious legislative
approach is required.
According to Statistics
Canada's Juristat “Crime Statistics in Canada, 2004”, the rate of
marijuana cultivation offences has more than doubled over the past
decade from approximately 3,400 offences in 1994 to 8,000 in 2004.
According to a study on
marijuana grow operations in British Columbia in 2003, 39% of all
reported marijuana cultivation cases, or 4,514 cases, were located in
British Columbia. Between 1997 and 2000, the total number of these cases
increased by over 220%. Although the number of individual operations in
British Columbia levelled off between 2000 and 2003, the estimated
quantity of marijuana produced increased from 19,729 kilograms in 1997
to a seven year high of 79,817 kilograms in 2003, which was due to the
size and sophistication of individual operations.
Recent investigations by
B.C. Hydro indicate the existence of up to 17,000 possible marijuana
grow operations. The increase in the illicit production of marijuana has
occurred not just in British Columbia but all across this country.
There is no available national data on synthetic drug production.
...
"
No comments:
Post a Comment