Currently, it is legal to grow small amounts of marijuana at home for medicinal purposes under the license issued by Health Canada. That may soon come to an end as stricter new laws are being implemented. With or without the new laws, it is illegal to grow marijuana without a license and for the purpose of trafficking, importing and exporting marijuana. If you are caught growing marijuana illegally, you will be charged with criminal offense under the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act. Depending on the substance you are found with, there are varying minimum terms of punishment.
You should understand the seriousness of the situation if you are caught cultivating marijuana illegally. Prosecutors in Canada are known to pursue charges involving possession, production and trafficking of drugs very aggressively.
Apart from fine and incarceration, a conviction for a drug-related offence will have several other implications for your personal life. Since the production and trafficking of most illegal drugs in Canada are connected with organized crime, your reputation will be tainted forever. With a criminal record attached to your name permanently, finding employment will be difficult. You will always be a suspect in the eyes of law enforcement agencies and may even be barred from crossing the border into the USA or into Canada from the USA.
If you are caught growing marijuana in Toronto, you should place a phone call to a criminal defense lawyer as soon as you are charged. Drugs-related lawsuits can be very complicated and you can easily end up in jail or with a huge fine or both without proper legal representation. An experienced criminal lawyer knows all the intricacies of drug laws and can keep you from going to jail or have your sentence reduced. Donna V. Pledge is a reputed Toronto criminal defense lawyer who has over two decades of experience in successfully defending drug-related cases.
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