TORIES, U.S. TALK STRATEGY ON DRUG ISSUE

Clandestine Labs, Marijuana Grow-Ops, Synthetic Drugs Are 'Priority Areas'

Conservative ministers and their aides are consulting with "keen"
U.S. government officials on a new national drug strategy, according
to internal documents obtained by the Vancouver Sun.

"There have been various senior-level meetings between U.S. officials
and ministers/minister's offices," states a summary of a June 16,
2006, meeting on the Tory drug initiative involving top federal
bureaucrats at nine departments and agencies.

"U.S. officials have been keen to discuss drug issues with the
current government."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's 2006 election platform promised a new
drug initiative that would include a national youth awareness
strategy. Mr. Harper also called for mandatory minimum sentences and
large fines for serious drug offenders, including marijuana grow
operators and "producers and dealers of crystal meth and crack."

The Tory government has since come under criticism for taking a tough
U.S.-style approach to drug crime while downplaying the "harm
reduction" approach that led to the 2003 establishment of a
supervised injection site for Vancouver's drug addicts.

The five-page summary, obtained through the Access to Information
Act, noted U.S. drug czar John Walters -- a frequent critic of
Canadian drug policy under the previous Liberal government -- was
planning to visit Canada this autumn.

"The meeting was postponed for scheduling reasons. It's anticipated
the meeting will take place early in the new year," said Rodney
Moore, a Foreign Affairs spokesman.

The national drug strategy will be launched in the fall or winter,
the documents note, after which Foreign Affairs and International
Trade Canada "will need to do outreach with the U.S. and our
like-minded countries."

The strategy will concentrate on "a few key priority areas that the
current government could focus and build on," such as "clandestine
labs, marijuana grow operations, (and) synthetic drugs," the document states.

"Another key element of the proposed national strategy is the
national awareness campaign for youth."

The document also cites government plans to toughen laws for
drug-impaired driving. Justice Minister Vic Toews tabled that
legislation last month.

Mike Storeshaw, a spokes-man for Mr. Toews, said he couldn't
speculate on when the strategy will be announced.

Mr. Storeshaw said the Canada-U.S. meetings make sense given the
concerns shared by both countries about cross-border crime.

"Obviously, ministers interact with their counterparts
internationally. Americans are important counterparts especially when
it comes to drug crime," he said.

"Drugs are one of the prime motivators for crime, particularly
cross-border crime."

Neil Boyd, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University, said U.S.
interest in Canada's tougher drug plans is no surprise.

"The Harper government favours a U.S.-style approach to drug
problems, which is to lock more people up and (to not) treat it as a
health problem, treat it as a criminal law problem of morality," Mr. Boyd said.

"That's very much at odds with what's going on in Europe and there's
really no good evidence to suggest that it's going to be terribly useful."

The newly obtained documents show top bureaucrats are concerned about
the future of programs that treat drug abuse as a health or "harm"
matter rather than a crime issue.

Susan Fletcher, assistant deputy minister at Health Canada, suggested
at the June meeting that top bureaucrats were trying to quietly push
forward a "national framework" plan launched by the former Liberal
government to "reduce the harms" associated with alcohol and drug abuse.

Ms. Fletcher told other top officials that the plan had the support
of non-governmental organizations, but "noted, however, that the
policy directions of the current government has implications" for the
federal-provincial endorsement process.

"Susan explained that rather than maintain the relatively high-level
approach of seeking ministerial support, HC (Health Canada) is
following a lower-profile path," the summary says.

"Health Canada will continue moving the framework forward when the
timing is right and looking for strategic opportunities to garner
support." The Department of Justice has "taken a similar route."