ATTACK ON OUR DRUG LAWS U.S. DRIVEN: PROF

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government is prepared to put up more money to
fight recreational drug use, an approach others say is U.S. driven and out
of touch with trends elsewhere.

A UN report on Tuesday said Canada's attitude toward illegal growers of
cannabis is lax and has not controlled illicit production of drugs such as
"ice" and "ecstasy."

The UN International Narcotics Control Board said Canadian court sentences
to cannabis growers and couriers essentially amount to slaps on the wrist.

But, the UN position, and Liberal policy, were challenged by Neil Boyd, a
criminologist at SFU.

The UN report and Ottawa's get-tough attitude are driven by U.S. policy, he
said. "It's an American-driven criticism. The democracies of Western
Europe are headed in a very different direction than Canada."

The Netherlands has permitted distribution of marijuana in coffee shops for
25 years, he noted, and use there has always remained lower than in Canada
or the U.S. The Americans are out of step with the rest of the world on
numerous criminal justice issues, he said - most notably the death penalty,
but also in their harsh drug sentences.

Canada is unduly influenced by the United States in criminal justice
matters, generally, and on anti-drug policy, particularly, Boyd said.

Attorney-General Anne McLellan reiterated government policy on fighting
drugs yesterday. "We're going to put more resources toward that...We as a
government are seized with the issue."