Pubdate: Tue, 08 Mar 2005 Source: National Post (Canada) Copyright: 2005 Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286 Author: Tom Blackwell, National Post Cited: New York Times article "Violent New Front in Drug War Opens on the Canadian Border" http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n360/a04.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Rochfort+Bridge (Rochfort Bridge) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) U.S. OFFICIALS VIEW CANADA AS TOO LENIENT ON DRUGS Influx of Marijuana Across Northern Border Feared WASHINGTON - The murder of four RCMP officers in Alberta last week may or may not end up having much to do with the modest marijuana grow operation the killer maintained. But the incident has managed to generate fresh irritation and fear in the United States over the growing flood of potent Canadian pot across the border. As if the two countries needed another irritant, the murders have only underlined concern among U.S. officials and politicians that Canada's relatively lax treatment of grow-op criminals is fuelling the influx of drugs. There are calls for more agents at the northern frontier, and parallels drawn between Canada and what has traditionally been considered a much more lawless neighbour -- Mexico. The fears were embodied in the headline for a recent front-page New York Times article: "Violent New Front in Drug War Opens on the Canadian Border." Just a day after the killings in Mayerthorpe, Alta., the State Department coincidentally released its annual report on the illegal drug business around the world. It concluded Thailand is no longer a major drug-producing country, praised Haiti for the anti-narcotics strides it has made -- and warned that lack of judicial sanctions is leading to a "burgeoning" marijuana sector in Canada, managed by organized crime. "We've tended to view Canada as our front door. And we've certainly come to the point where we don't feel that we can leave the front door unlocked any more," said Chris Sands, an expert on Canada at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "Stories like the one about the officers being murdered and increasing violence associated with this trade are going to only make the Americans think what we usually think about these things -- that we're right and maybe you'll finally realize it." He called the issue another example of the culture clashes that have been erupting between the two nations as their trading relationship draws ever closer, he said. While American police pursue crime aggressively and almost competitively, they perceive Canadian law enforcement as more reactive, or at least hampered by a lack of resources, Mr. Sands said. The Canadian approach to drug enforcement is seen as similar to its more lenient handling of immigration and the terrorism threat, he said. Starting with the development of the legendary "B.C. bud" in British Columbia, the number of marijuana grow operations has exploded in the last decade. Much of that product has flowed across the border into the United States, a fact highlighted in last week's State Department report on world narcotics trends. "We are now working intensively with Canadian authorities to address the increase in the smuggling of Canadian-produced marijuana into the United States," President George W. Bush said in a statement issued with the report. "However, we are concerned the lack of significant judicial sanctions against marijuana producers is resulting in greater involvement in the burgeoning marijuana industry by organized criminal groups." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake