More Than 500 Health Professionals Protest Bill S-10
3:04 PM
Terry Wilson
, Posted in
500
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B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
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bill s10
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Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
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Canadian Public Health Association
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health
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marijuana
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professionals
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protest
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Urban Health Research Initiative
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40 Comments
Over 500 physicians, scientists and researchers, led by the Urban Health Research Initiative, a program of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, and the Canadian Public Health Association are making an argument that Bill S10 is both ineffective and expensive.
Bill S10 is drug legislation that includes mandatory minimum sentences of 6-9 months for growing 6 or more marijuana plants, and 12-18 months for making any hashish (including baked goods!) This is the first time in Canada's history that a minimum sentence has been set for marijuana.
The Health Care professionals sent a letter to Stephen Harper and opposition leaders that said:
“We, the undersigned, are concerned that the federal government is pursuing significant amendments to federal drug legislation, through Bill S-10, which are not scientifically grounded and which research demonstrates may actually contribute to health and social harms in our communities,”
Although the government has not produced detailed budget estimates regarding the potential cost of implementing mandatory minimum sentences, similar sentencing regimes introduced in the United States have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. During these difficult economic times, this raises the question of why the federal government proposes to spend scarce financial resources on policies that have been shown to be expensive, ineffective and harmful.”
These are the kind of laws that we wrote about in our previous post HERE. The federal government is hell bent on building new jails, and filling them up. Regardless of what any professional or the people of Canada have to say.
I applaud the professionals as they stand up for us. But we in turn need to stand up and support them as well! Please send them an email to let them know that you ARE standing with them on this issue.
B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
info@cfenet.ubc.ca
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
info@aidslaw.ca
Canadian Public Health Association
info@cpha.ca
Bill S10 is drug legislation that includes mandatory minimum sentences of 6-9 months for growing 6 or more marijuana plants, and 12-18 months for making any hashish (including baked goods!) This is the first time in Canada's history that a minimum sentence has been set for marijuana.
The Health Care professionals sent a letter to Stephen Harper and opposition leaders that said:
“We, the undersigned, are concerned that the federal government is pursuing significant amendments to federal drug legislation, through Bill S-10, which are not scientifically grounded and which research demonstrates may actually contribute to health and social harms in our communities,”
Although the government has not produced detailed budget estimates regarding the potential cost of implementing mandatory minimum sentences, similar sentencing regimes introduced in the United States have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. During these difficult economic times, this raises the question of why the federal government proposes to spend scarce financial resources on policies that have been shown to be expensive, ineffective and harmful.”
These are the kind of laws that we wrote about in our previous post HERE. The federal government is hell bent on building new jails, and filling them up. Regardless of what any professional or the people of Canada have to say.
I applaud the professionals as they stand up for us. But we in turn need to stand up and support them as well! Please send them an email to let them know that you ARE standing with them on this issue.
B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
info@cfenet.ubc.ca
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
info@aidslaw.ca
Canadian Public Health Association
info@cpha.ca