RCMP WELCOMES U.S. DRUG AGENCY TO B.C.

America's war on drugs is officially setting up shop in Vancouver,
and RCMP have put out the welcome mat.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration plans to station a special
agent in Vancouver to increase its presence in Western Canada, U.S.
Attorney-General John Ashcroft has confirmed.

The RCMP says it welcomes more co-operation with U.S. authorities,
but critics are concerned about increasing U.S. law enforcement
influence in Canada.

"We have worked very closely with our partners with the DEA," said
RCMP B.C. spokesman Cpl. Grant Learned.

"We work hand in glove with different U.S. agencies whether it be the
U.S. Border Patrol, DEA, FBI, all of those agencies."

But others, including Simon Fraser University criminologist Neil
Boyd, are concerned about undue American influence on Canadian drug
laws.

"It certainly creates fears that Canada is not going to be able to
chart its own course in relation to drug control," Boyd said. "And
that it is increasingly under the influence of the United States."

DEA will join the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and other American law-enforcement
agencies at the U.S. Consulate in Vancouver.

The DEA, which was created by U.S. president Richard Nixon in 1973,
has enormous powers and has faced severe criticism of late for
abusing its power and breaking laws.