MILITARY GONE TO POT?

OTTAWA -- Edmonton's military base is Number 2 in Canada for drug
busts, says a Department of National Defence report. And there's
rising concern with methamphetamine use in the ranks posted to Prairie
provinces, says another newly released document.

The two separate military police Criminal Intelligence Program reports
obtained by Sun Media state that across Canada, drug abuse by Canadian
Forces members is rising, although it's sharply below rates in the
civilian population.

"The trends illustrated in this report give indication that incidents
of illicit drug usage by Canadian Forces members or other persons on
DND property will continue to rise, including the cultivation of
marijuana," a July 2003 report says.

And a January 2004 report says, "Illicit drug occurrences continue to
increase at bases across Canada."

In 2003 military police laid drug charges in nearly 30 cases.

The Canadian Forces has a zero tolerance policy towards drug
consumption in its ranks.

The intelligence reports say those soldiers caught with drugs are
sometimes trafficking and secretly growing the weed, especially at CFB
Greenwood in Nova Scotia.

From January 2002 to 2004, military police shut down 18 grow
operations on bases across Canada, statistics show.

Capt. Mark Giles, National Investigation Service spokesman, said an
improved offence-tracking system is to blame for a perceived spike in
drug offences.

"And there has also been in the past year or two an increase in drug
enforcement," Giles said, adding the military is "satisfied that the
vast majority of Canadian Forces and DND personnel are not involved in
drugs."

According to the 2003 criminal intelligence report, most drug charges
are laid against troops at CFB Esquimalt in B.C., followed by CFB Edmonton.

"Although cannabis is statistically the choice drug among users,
there's a growing emergence of methamphetamine in the Prairie
provinces," the 2004 report says.

"Meth is a highly addictive stimulant and is slowly becoming the
choice of drug among illicit drug users in the Canadian Forces."