National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Canada

Ottawa, November 29th 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Omnibus Crime Bill C-10 – Petitions calling for further debates to be tabled in the House of Commons this Tuesday November 29th.

Provincial leaders from Quebec, Ontario, BC and PEI have all already vigorously criticized Bill C-10, the Omnibus Crime Bill, and now average Canadians from all walks of life are adding their voices to the opposition.

Several MPs will be tabling petitions on behalf of NORML Canada (The National Organization for the Reform of the Marijuana laws) this Tuesday after question period. The petitions call for Bill C-10 to be separated into several bills so that each legislative initiative may be voted on separately without being tied to the others.

It is unfair and incongruous to lump issues involving young offenders, child abusers, cannabis consumers and terrorists in the same bill. This Bill will only serve to further put at risk the safety of otherwise law abiding Canadians by making our streets and communities more dangerous. Moreover, the Bill will impose a fantastic financial burden on the public purse during a time of fiscal restraint

Prohibition has failed and regulation and taxation are more effective in controlling problems arising from drug abuse.

It is our hope that science will win out over idealistic dogma. Growing and consuming marijuana is a choice millions of Canadian make every day. It is time to debate the merits of legalized and regulated cannabis.

NORML Canada sincerely urges our government to reconsider their plans to pass this Bill and to take the necessary time to allow for more open and honest debate.

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Media contact:
Marc-Boris St-Maurice
514-808-8682

(French version of media release)
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NORML Canada strongly opposes the Harper Government’s Bill C-10.

This “omnibus” crime legislation, titled, “The Safe Streets and Communities Act,” bundles nine different crime bills together as one bill and is being rushed through parliament with insufficient study and debate. Included in Bill C-10 is highly controversial legislation that proposes to impose mandatory prison sentences for growing 6 or more cannabis plants, if there is intent to “traffic” any of it.

Bill C-10 will clog the courts and overflow prisons with low-level, non-violent drug offenders. Included in those numbers will be many small-scale cannabis growers, despite the repeated claims of the Harper Conservatives that this mandatory minimums legislation is intended to target organized crime!

In an effort to help raise awareness about this preventable policy disaster, NORML Canada has created a petition for you to download and distribute.

It takes a minimum 25 signatures to make the petition official. The idea here is to get as many signatures as possible, but because this is a fast moving campaign, as soon as 25 people have signed on, it’s ready to move forward.

Liberal MP Ted Hsu (Kingston) has agreed to vet and certify all of our petitions, and NORML Canada is currently speaking to Green Party and N.D.P. MP’s that are willing to assist us as well. Perhaps your MP would be willing to submit one of our our petition as well. It can’t hurt to ask, and time is very short. We have a week at most to get this campaign in front of the House, or it will be too late.

It will take every bit of effort from all of us to change this horrible mistake Harper is trying to make. Please lend a hand in any way you can to help our community. Download the petition, sign it, have your friends sign it and get it back in our hands as soon as possible!

Petitions, with 25 or more signatures, are to be mailed to:

Kevin Perry
Legislative Assistant to Ted Hsu, M.P. Kingston and the Islands
Justice Bldg. Room 818
The House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Tel: 613-996-1955 / Fax: 613-996-1958

*No stamps needed. Letters to members of government do NOT require postage. (Source:CanadaPost.ca)

Please keep us up to date on any efforts you make to help this simple, yet powerful campaign by emailing petition@norml.ca the details of where it is or where it’s gone. the details of where it is or where it’s gone.

Thank you in advance for your efforts, we appreciate all that you do for the cannabis community and we stand beside you in your efforts. Please stand beside us in ours.

Norml Canada
http://NORML.ca
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French version of media release:

Ottawa, 29 novembre 2011

POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE

Projet de loi Omnibus C-10; Des pétitions demandant des débats additionnels déposés a la Chambre des Communes ce mardi 29 novembre.

Déjà les dirigeants du Québec, l’Ontario, La Colombie-Britannique et L’Isle du Prince Edouard ont critiqué le projet de loi omnibus contre la criminalité, C-10, et maintenant de simples Citoyens viennent ajouter leurs voix à l’opposition.

Plusieurs Membres du Parlement déposeront des pétitions au nom de NORML Canada (National Organisation pour Rendre la Marijuana Légale) ce mardi après la période des questions. Les pétitions demandent que le projet de loi C-10 soit séparé en plusieurs projets de loi pour que chaque initiative soit votée séparément sans être liées l’une a l’autre.

Il est injuste est incongru d’entasser des enjeux concernant les jeunes contrevenants, des abuseurs d’enfants, des utilisateurs de marijuana et des terroristes dans le même projet. C-10 rendra nos communautés plus dangereuses et mettra a risque la sécurité d’honnêtes citoyens. D’autant plus, ce projet va imposer un fardeau financier considérable sur nos fonds publics pendant une période d’instabilité fiscale mondiale.

La prohibition est un échec. La réglementation et la taxation sont les meilleurs moyens de contrôler les problèmes liés à l’abus des drogues.

NORML Canada souhaite que la science vainque les idéaux dogmatiques. Cultiver et consommer du cannabis est un choix que prennent des millions de citoyens a chaque jour. Il est temps de débattre les mérites de légaliser et réglementer la marijuana.

NORML Canada exhorte notre gouvernement de reconsidérer leur intention de faire adopter ce projet de loi et de prendre le temps nécessaire pour permettre un débat ouvert et honnête.

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Info medias :
Marc-Boris St-Maurice
514-808-8682