That is the question unscrupulous cyclists are asking themselves today, in light of France's tough new anti-doping law:
Under the new measures offenders will receive up of five years in jail and a 75,000-euro ([ed] $3.2 million) fine, when it relates to drug trafficking, explained French Minister for Sport Bernard Laporte. The penalty will be increased to seven years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euros ([ed] $12.6 million) when the offence is committed as part of an organized group or against a minor. The sentence will comprise a year in prison and a 3,750-euro ([ed] $5 million) fine when the offence is committed by a sports person for his personal use.
Look, doping is terrible, but is this really a priority for a large, Western country like France? What other sorts of crimes are punishable by up to seven years in prison? Manslaughter? Robbery? Assault? Sounds stupid to me. If you want to deter cyclists from doping, any sort of token prison sentence (10 days?) should do the trick. These are athletes we're discussing, not drifters.