DRUG TESTING SHINES LIGHT ON TWO BASES

Dozens Of Infractions Uncovered

OTTAWA - Two major military bases and a navy frigate are hot spots for
illegal drug use by members of the Canadian Forces, internal reports
suggest.

Urine tests conducted at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, north of Quebec
City, in June and November last year found 51 people who tested positive
for cocaine, 54 testing positive for marijuana and several for
amphetamines.

At Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ont., tests in January last year found
13 cocaine users, 16 marijuana users and three with opiates in their
urine.

And on the navy frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec, based in Halifax, urine
tests in June and July last year found 10 sailors with marijuana in their
systems.

The tests were conducted shortly before the frigate sailed on a NATO
deployment.

The findings are part of a program of mandatory drug tests for so-called
"safety sensitive" occupations.

That includes everyone being deployed to Afghanistan, as well as
submariners, divers and a few other specialized personnel.

Summary statistics for the program show that 170 members tested positive
for illegal drugs between January and July last year, out of 5,920 people
tested, or about three per cent of the total.

Half were caught with marijuana in their systems, and a third with
cocaine. The rest had amphetamines, opiates and PCP in their urine.

The levels are far below abuse rates in the general population, and have
been dropping in recent years as more soldiers bound for Afghanistan
understand they have to pass the test before being sent overseas.

The Canadian Press obtained 2008 test results from dozens of military
locations across Canada, through the Access to Information Act.

Individual identities are censored to protect privacy, though the
documents show most drug abuse is at the master corporal rank or below.