War On Drugs introduces Bill-S-10
"Canada needs to move towards a publichealth
based model to deal with substance use
and abuse," according to Caleb Chepesiuk,
the executive director of Canadian Students
for Sensible Drug Policy.
However, this is not what the Harper Conservatives are doing.
The government is pushing to introduce Bill S-10, which deals with the criminalization of those involved in using and dealing drugs. It will involve a mandatory prison sentence and will have harsher punishment for certain substances.
In 2006 the government introduced this legislation, entitled Bill C-26. The intention of this bill and Bill S-10 is to address organized crime; however, they have not given any concrete evidence that it will be successful. "The Harper Conservatives seem to want to put people involved with drugs, even for a first-time scenario, in prison," said Chepesiuk.
For minors, the mandatory jail sentence does not apply. In the past, the judge would have the option to decide whether or not to offer people 18 and older an alternative sentence to jail time. Now, with Bill S-10, prison time becomes automatic.
According to Chepesiuk, "If Bill S-10 passes, there will be many more young people who may find themselves facing serious jail sentences." Currently, the government is investing billions into maximizing the prison system. This will result in greater funding for criminal enforcement when the government could put the money towards education, treatment, harm reduction and other communitybased programs created to help with substance abuse. "Criminalizing drug use has only increased the social harms of drugs," said Chepesiuk.
Drug control has been an ongoing issue, and some wonder whether this is an issue that has any hope of being fixed. Globally, voices preach that the criminalization of drugs has failed and that the "war on drugs" approaches have failed. Perhaps it is no longer a question of whether we can fix it, but whether we can reduce its harm and effects.
Canada is already doing a lot to help this issue with community programs. But Chepesiuk pointed out that "too often the federal government has been in the way of these communities. If the Canadian federal government listened to the people working on these issues than these communities would be able to move much faster." There have been several other countries that have taken away their "war on drugs" policies for the simple reason that they have caused more bad than good.
With Bill S-10, not only has a jail sentence become mandatory, but the terms that cause a person to be imprisoned are much stricter. Trafficking doesn't just mean selling anymore; it means sharing, distributing and giving. In turn, this means that every young person that uses substances will be incriminated. "A section of Bill S-10 states that if you are caught 'anywhere youth might frequent,' that you face a mandatory two year prison sentence," explained Chepesiuk. "This could be anywhere! Anywhere young people are together could become a spot that triggers a mandatory prison sentence."
The CSSDP are having an event to raise awareness against Bill S-10. On March 9 and 10, they will be holding an annual Lobby Day for youth and students to come to Parliament Hill and discuss the impacts on criminalization with politicians.
"CSSDP has been working in our communities to raise awareness and taking on politicians as we have been meeting with them since the bill was originally introduced," Chepesiuk said. "(We're) calling on them to get past the 'tough on crime' spin and instead get smart on crime."
Originally, the Liberal Party was in favour of the bill but they say their support is not certain this time around, according to Chepesiuk.
"CSSDP chapters will continue to hammer the truth, which is that there is nothing to support Bill S-10 and it will have a disastrous effect on young people. We need to invest in schools, not prisons."
For more information, contact your Member of Parliament or visit www.cssdp.org.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
However, this is not what the Harper Conservatives are doing.
The government is pushing to introduce Bill S-10, which deals with the criminalization of those involved in using and dealing drugs. It will involve a mandatory prison sentence and will have harsher punishment for certain substances.
In 2006 the government introduced this legislation, entitled Bill C-26. The intention of this bill and Bill S-10 is to address organized crime; however, they have not given any concrete evidence that it will be successful. "The Harper Conservatives seem to want to put people involved with drugs, even for a first-time scenario, in prison," said Chepesiuk.
For minors, the mandatory jail sentence does not apply. In the past, the judge would have the option to decide whether or not to offer people 18 and older an alternative sentence to jail time. Now, with Bill S-10, prison time becomes automatic.
According to Chepesiuk, "If Bill S-10 passes, there will be many more young people who may find themselves facing serious jail sentences." Currently, the government is investing billions into maximizing the prison system. This will result in greater funding for criminal enforcement when the government could put the money towards education, treatment, harm reduction and other communitybased programs created to help with substance abuse. "Criminalizing drug use has only increased the social harms of drugs," said Chepesiuk.
Drug control has been an ongoing issue, and some wonder whether this is an issue that has any hope of being fixed. Globally, voices preach that the criminalization of drugs has failed and that the "war on drugs" approaches have failed. Perhaps it is no longer a question of whether we can fix it, but whether we can reduce its harm and effects.
Canada is already doing a lot to help this issue with community programs. But Chepesiuk pointed out that "too often the federal government has been in the way of these communities. If the Canadian federal government listened to the people working on these issues than these communities would be able to move much faster." There have been several other countries that have taken away their "war on drugs" policies for the simple reason that they have caused more bad than good.
With Bill S-10, not only has a jail sentence become mandatory, but the terms that cause a person to be imprisoned are much stricter. Trafficking doesn't just mean selling anymore; it means sharing, distributing and giving. In turn, this means that every young person that uses substances will be incriminated. "A section of Bill S-10 states that if you are caught 'anywhere youth might frequent,' that you face a mandatory two year prison sentence," explained Chepesiuk. "This could be anywhere! Anywhere young people are together could become a spot that triggers a mandatory prison sentence."
The CSSDP are having an event to raise awareness against Bill S-10. On March 9 and 10, they will be holding an annual Lobby Day for youth and students to come to Parliament Hill and discuss the impacts on criminalization with politicians.
"CSSDP has been working in our communities to raise awareness and taking on politicians as we have been meeting with them since the bill was originally introduced," Chepesiuk said. "(We're) calling on them to get past the 'tough on crime' spin and instead get smart on crime."
Originally, the Liberal Party was in favour of the bill but they say their support is not certain this time around, according to Chepesiuk.
"CSSDP chapters will continue to hammer the truth, which is that there is nothing to support Bill S-10 and it will have a disastrous effect on young people. We need to invest in schools, not prisons."
For more information, contact your Member of Parliament or visit www.cssdp.org.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
