CANADA'S DRUG POLICY ATTACKED

Chemicals Used To Make Ecstasy Not Controlled: Official

A United Nations narcotics watchdog has accused Canada of failing to
adequately monitor chemicals that can be used to produce illicit drugs like
speed and ecstasy.

Criminals are benefiting from the lack of controls and setting up
clandestine synthetic drug labs at an alarming rate, local police say.

Canada is one of the few developed countries that has no laws controlling
the use of precursor chemicals, used in the manufacture of illegal drugs.

Margaret Ehrenfeldner, drug control officer in the International Narcotic
Control Board secretariat in Vienna, said Canada has continually failed to
provide adequate information on the movement of precursor chemicals to and
from the country despite signing a 1988 U.N. convention that requires
detailed annual reports.

"We are fearing that because of an absence of a law, they are not in a
position to know this data. They are certainly one of the few developed
countries causing us concern,'' she said in a telephone interview from
Vienna.

As demand for synthetic drugs grows around the world, the U.N. has been
working to control the movement of precursors for over a decade.

"The European countries, for several years now, have established precursor
control legislation and it seems to have worked very well,'' said
Ehrenfeldner. "Even developing countries like China and India have made
strong improvements of their precursor controls (but) Canada has only
recently informed us that a regulatory framework for precursors is under
way.''

More than half the 22 chemicals listed under the U.N. convention, which also
have legitimate uses, can be purchased from hardware and drug stores and
would be practically impossible to track in small amounts.

However, many countries have comprehensive reporting systems where
manufacturers and retailers are required to notify authorities when large
amounts are sold to unknown or suspicious companies or individuals.

Health Canada hasn't amended its controlled drugs and substances regulations
to include precursors. Spokesperson Rosylen Tremble said developing a law or
regulations to deal with precursors is "on the agenda,'' but there is "no
concrete time limit.''

The lack of controls for the chemicals makes it difficult for police to
track their illegal use, said Superintendent Ron Taverner of Toronto police
special investigation services.

He said Canada should place limits on the amount of chemicals that can be
purchased, implement mandatory reporting and stipulate that only account
holders can make purchases. Account holders would undergo background checks
and only be able to purchase the chemicals using credit cards so that a
paper trail is created, Taverner said.

In the past year, there have been seven busts of clandestine drug labs in
and around the GTA, said Detective Randy Smith of Toronto's drug unit. The
labs had the potential to produce hundreds of thousands of ecstasy pills.
The number of busts is second only to Vancouver, where authorities have
raided 17 labs in the past year.

"By all accounts, the demand is so great that the bad guys have discovered
profits are enormous when it comes to manufacturing these drugs,'' Smith
said. "Because we lack laws on precursors, instead of importing drugs like
ecstasy, the (criminals) have the means and the availability of the
precursors in Canada to just begin production here.''

Until new regulations are in place, the Canadian Chemical Producers
Association is promoting a "responsible care'' program, requiring companies
to notify police of suspicious transactions, said Dave Shearing, senior
manager of business and economics.

"The manufacturers we represent have a known set of customers. They would be
suspicious of anyone new.''

Shearing said he believes it would be impossible to control some substances
listed in the U.N. convention, including ethyl ether, hydrochloric acid and
sulphuric acid. But the harder chemicals listed should be legally
controlled, he said.