CANADA IS A LEADING SOURCE OF SYNTHETIC DRUGS: REPORT

Canadians may think of illegal drug trafficking as a problem to pin on
foreigners, but in the global trade in synthetic drugs like ecstasy
and methamphetamines, Canada is one of the bad guys.

The United Nations' World Drug Report for 2011 was released Thursday,
and Canada does not come off well - which is no surprise to those
working in drug enforcement.

"If you look at the size and magnitude of these illicit drug labs, we
just don't have the population and consumer base for this," said
Sergeant Brent Hill, commander of the RCMP's chemical diversion unit
in Milton, Ont. "This is for export and we know this. Do you really
want to be a leading source country of illegal drugs?"

The annual UN drug report singles out Canada as a leading exporter of
meth to the United States, the Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico and Jamaica.

In addition, "the resurgence" of ecstasy use south of the border "was
fuelled by the manufacture [of ecstasy] in Canada and subsequent
smuggling," according to the report which is based on global police,
government and health records.

"For years we have pointed the finger at Colombia and Afghanistan,"
said Thomas Pietschmann, of the threat analysis section of the UN's
Office on Drugs and Crime. "But the same kind of standard should apply
to Western countries like Canada."

The UN report says Canadian authorities busted a dozen ecstasy labs
and 23 meth labs in 2009 - the latest year for which statistics are
available - and seized close to half a metric ton of ecstasy.

Canada is seen as having lax control over the import and domestic
trade of precursor chemicals such as pseudoephedrine. Combined with
proximity to the huge U.S. market and easy access to well-established
smuggling routes to Asia and Australia, that makes for a profitable
nexus of crime.

Superintendent Brian Cantera, who heads the RCMP's drug squad in B.C.,
said organized crime groups in Canada with "familial ties" to India
and China can bring in huge quantities of these chemicals needed to
"cook" the synthetic drugs in underground laboratories set up across
Canada.

"The potential for these drugs is so great, it allows them to purchase
cocaine with the profits," he said, in effect creating a vicious
circle between the forms of drugs.

And unlike the small "stove-top" meth operations that are typical in
the U.S., "the labs we find here in Canada are large-scale
productions, using very sophisticated equipment," said Sergeant Doug
Culver, who heads the RCMP's synthetic drug initiative in Ottawa.

The transformation of Canada from a drug-importing country to a major
export centre also poses new challenges to police, traditionally
focused on uncovering huge shipments of illicit cargoes into the
country or tracking domestic sales.

"The biggest difference is now we're the source country. That changes
the dynamics tenfold," said Sgt. Hill. "We need a new game plan here.
We need to start configuring a new strategy that says: Not acceptable.
Not in our backyard. Not in our country."

Canada has begun take action to clean up the synthetic drug trade -
and its reputation. On Thursday, a new law came into force making it
illegal to possess the chemicals and equipment that could be used to
make these drugs.

Supt. Cantera said he hopes the UN report will prompt Canada to take
even stronger action. "I think we all share that black eye," he said.
"Nobody enjoys that kind of notoriety."

The new face of drugs: cocaine down, meth up

The good news is that the global consumption of traditional drugs such
as cocaine, heroin and cannabis has declined or remained stable.

The bad news is that the production and abuse of new synthetic drugs -
not just meth and ecstasy, but also chemical products designed to act
like cannabis and cocaine - are soaring.

"The gains we have witnessed in the traditional drug markets are being
offset by a fashion for synthetic 'designer drugs' mimicking illegal
substances," said Yury Fedotov, executive director of the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The UN reports that methamphetamine use has started to increase again
in North America, following several years of decline, and is sweeping
East Asia.

Perhaps the best indication of the kinds of drugs that are plaguing
the streets is the kinds of drugs that are making up the biggest
police busts.

While traditional drugs such as marijuana and cocaine still dominate
the world drug scene, the UN reports that cocaine seizures in North
America fell by 43 per cent between 2005 and 2009, "reflecting the
overall decline of the cocaine market." But over the same period,
seizures of amphetamines shot up 87 per cent.

"I've never seen a more insidious drug than meth," said RCMP Sergeant
Brent Hill, a 20-year veteran of the drug wars. "The potency and the
addiction rate are just so alarming. I've been with the families. I've
seen the devastation."

Myanmar producing higher levels of opium: UN

The country's share of global opium production more than doubled
between 2007 to 2010, says the UN Office on Drugs and Crime

A blight that wiped out much of the opium harvest in Afghanistan last
year didn't do a lot to stem the flow of the drug, much of which is
turned into heroin and sold around the world.

Myanmar, controlled by a military junta, stepped in to fill the void.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says that country's share
of the global opium production more than doubled from five to 12 per
cent between 2007 to 2010.

And despite - or perhaps because of - the fighting in Afghanistan,
where the Taliban use opium to finance their operations, the fields of
poppies will likely bloom more abundantly this year.

"Our preliminary findings indicate that Afghan opium production will
probably rebound to high levels in 2011," warned Yury Fedotov,
executive director of the UNODC.

The dope on drugs

210 million people, or 4.8 per cent of the world's population aged 15
to 64, took illicit substances at least once in the previous year.

Between 125 and 203 million people used cannabis at least once in the
past year, making it "by far the most widely produced and consumed
illicit substance globally."

200,000 deaths a year were caused by drugs, about half of them fatal
overdoses.

157 tons of cocaine were consumed by Americans in 2009, making up 36
per cent of global consumption.