Tougher fines urged for potent pot dealers

CHICAGO, June 15 (UPI) -- Traffickers convicted of selling highly potent forms of marijuana should get tougher sentences, a Republican congressman from Illinois said.

Legislation to be introduced by Rep. Mark Kirk would target people who sell marijuana with a THC content exceeding 15 percent, his office told the Chicago Tribune in a story published Monday.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main active ingredient in marijuana. Average strains of marijuana have a THC content of between 5 and 10 percent, Kirk's office said.

Under Kirk's proposed law, first-time offenders could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.

Drug dealers knowledgeable in cross-breeding plants can produce strains of marijuana with THC contents of up to 20 percent, said Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran, who supports Kirk's plan.

"It's not a good idea to have people that messed up," Curran said.