Pubdate: Thu, 03 Mar 2011
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2011 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Steven Edwards, Postmedia News

CANADA TRAFFICKING MORE ILLICIT DRUGS: UN

Canada has emerged as an increasingly important exporter and transit 
point for illicit drugs -and partly to blame is the 
"easy-to-penetrate" border, a senior drugs-monitoring official warned 
Wednesday at the United Nations.

The statement by Melvyn Levitsky of the International Narcotics 
Control Board comes as Canada is working to resist demands by some 
members of the U.S. Congress to apply ever-increasing checks along the border.

"The Canadian government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have 
done a good professional job [in combating drug trafficking], but the 
market in the United States is a big one, and the border is a 
peaceful border which is relatively easy to penetrate," Mr. Levitsky said.

He stopped short of calling for tighter border security, but said 
"remaining vigilant" and resisting "pressure to cut [anti-illicit] 
drug and related budgets" was essential.

Canada's latest standing in the international league of illicit 
drug-trafficking countries is detailed in the North American section 
of INCB's 2010 annual report, which Mr. Levitsky presented at a news 
conference.

It says Canada is self-sufficient in illicit cannabis production, but 
also provides the United States with a "significant amount" of 
home-grown cannabis, some of which is traded for "cocaine and other 
contraband, such as firearms and tobacco."

Canada also supplies a "significant share" of the international 
market for methamphetamine, known as meth or crystal meth. And it 
continues to be a "major source" internationally of MDMA, a party 
drug also known as Ecstasy.

Beyond production, INCB says Canada is "increasingly being used as a 
transit country for cocaine."

"Criminal groups are smuggling cocaine into Canada, mainly through 
Mexico and the United States, to be sold on the illicit market in 
Canada or shipped overseas."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom