TROOPS PICK WEED, COKE

Military Drug Use On Rise - Report

Drug use among Canadian soldiers and Defence Department employees is
on the rise, especially during hot summer months, according to newly
released documents. Two military police Criminal Intelligence Program
reports obtained by Sun Media show that the drug of choice is pot,
with cocaine following a distant second.

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

And the January 2004 report says "illicit drug occurrences continue to
increase at bases/wings across Canada."

ZERO TOLERANCE

But drug offences continue to be significantly lower in the military
than in the civilian world. Drug charges peaked in July of each year,
and in 2003 military police had almost 30 cases involving drug charges.

The Canadian Forces has a zero-tolerance policy toward 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 the
military's new offence tracking system is to blame for a perceived
spike in drug offences because some files were lost beforehand.

"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."

Although cannabis is statistically the choice drug among users,
"there's a growing emergence of methamphetamine in the Prairie
provinces," the national environmental assessment says. "Meth is a
highly addictive stimulant and is slowly becoming the choice of drug
among illicit drug users in the CF."

ALARMING TRENDS

Criminal trends in Canadian Forces according to military police
reports:

- - 8 Wing Trenton: There has been a significant increase in domestic
violence, jumping to 48 last year from seven cases in 2002.

- - Western Area Training Centre Wainwright: Alcohol-related incidents
involving soldiers are the most common offences, often including assaults.

- - 17 Wing Winnipeg: Marijuana and cocaine are the drugs of choice.

- - Shilo: A report says drug use is expected to increase with the arrival of
2 PPCLI this year.

- - CFB Petawawa: In 2003, there was an increase in drug-related offences,
with possession of marijuana charges doubling from 2002.

- - CFB Kingston: The base and the Royal Military College are faced with
numerous drug-related offences, and have seen complaints about the use of
the date rape drug.

- - CFB Gagetown: Police operation led to 22 charges against seven soldiers
for trafficking and using marijuana, ecstasy, dilaudid and crack.