Bush Troubled by Canadian Drug Exports to U.S.

[Phuz]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday said he was concerned that Canada had become a increasing source of potent marijuana as well as an ingredient to the illegal drug methamphetamine for the United States.
A State Department spokesman said flows of the ingredient, pseudoephedrine, had become so great that Canada "appears to have eclipsed Mexico as the primary foreign source of methamphetamine precursors" to the United States.
Bush made the findings in an annual report in which he graded the counternarcotics cooperation of major drug producing and transiting nations. He concluded that Guatemala, Haiti and Myanmar are not doing enough to crack down on the drug trade.
However, Bush suspended the penalties required under U.S. law -- chiefly the loss of most U.S. aid -- for Guatemala and Haiti on the grounds of U.S. national interest.

The report, outlined in a memo from Bush to the State Department, which assesses foreign anti-drug cooperation, took an unusually tough line toward Canada although it cited the generally "excellent cooperation" between the two countries.

"The United States government is concerned that Canada is a primary source of pseudoephedrine and an increasing source of high-potency marijuana," Bush said in the memo, which was dated Jan. 30 and released by the White House on Friday.
'ALARMING INCREASE'

"Over the past few years there has been an alarming increase in the amount of pseudoephedrine diverted from Canada sources to clandestine drug laboratories in the United States, where it is used to make methamphetamine," he added.


"Canada, for the most part, has not regulated the sale and distribution of precursor chemicals," Bush added, saying recent regulations drafted by Canada to restrict the availability of pseudoephedrine "should be stronger."


In Ottawa, the federal Canadian minister in charge of law enforcement said police had already taken "some fairly major steps" to tackle the organized crime gangs who run much of the marijuana trade and the government was working to cut off the trade in pseudoephedrine.


The report, summarized by the White House, also cited an "alarming increase" in the quantity of the illegal drug ecstasy entering the United States, significant amounts of which it said were made in the Netherlands.


Canada and the Netherlands were not cited as major drug producing or trafficking countries nor deemed to be failing to cooperate on counternarcotics. Bush said he looked forward to working closely with both to address the issues.


Canadian Solicitor-General Wayne Easter, expressing satisfaction that Bush had praised the cooperation between Canadian and U.S. law enforcement agencies, said Ottawa was moving to cut off the trade in marijuana and pseudoephedrine.


"We've said a number of times we see this as a problem ourselves. We have developed new regulations, we have put more money into (policing) organized crime ... we're trying to get to the sources of the problem," he told Reuters by telephone.


In the report, Bush found that Guatemala, Haiti and Myanmar have "failed demonstrably to make substantial efforts" to meet their international obligations to combat drugs and to take steps demanded under U.S. law.


Paul Simons, the State Department official in charge of drugs policy, told reporters that U.S. officials believe the Guatemalan police had stolen twice the amount of illegal drugs that they had officially seized last year and were linked with illegal executions of narcotraffickers and civilians.


The U.S. government waived the penalties for Guatemala and Haiti on national interest grounds, saying U.S. aid helped Guatemala build democracy and reduce illegal migration and that it served to address "poverty and hopelessness" in Haiti.


Myanmar's government, harshly criticized by Washington for human rights abuses and for mismanaging the east Asian nation's economy, remains subject to the penalties.


Bush identified the major drug-transit or drug-producing countries as Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Thailand, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

I can see (and do see) Canada as being a large provider for Americas pot... but really, thats pretty much it.. I mean, geeze, what about yer other neighbour? You can walk two miles past the border into mehico and buy banned pharmaceuticals that aren't even ADMINISTRATED to patients anymore.

 

[StageLeft]

As pot becomes increasingly easy to get in Canada to the point where it's legal for individual citizens to grow it for personal use this problem will become greater.

Except it's not really a problem if America would just get over it's useless hate for marijuana. The US has booze, but not weed. Doesn't make sense. Canada is beginning to realize the hypocrisy and do something about it.

And for the record I prefer alcohol. I don't like weed much at all, but I still think that it should be legalized if you're gonna legalize booze. So tough, Bush! You can spend billions putting up more border controls, but you're wasting money.

 

[Phuz]

I don't think the U.S. would have much more to deal with... the legality isn't changing at the borders, and drugs will still be smuggled...
I don't understand how bush can put himself behind those anti-drug messages, wouldn't that be a double standard?
Didn't he used to be one of the good old boys?

It should be heavily taxed.. just watch the deficit disappear!

 

[CraigRT]

all hale free weed!!!!

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Phuz
I don't think the U.S. would have much more to deal with... the legality isn't changing at the borders, and drugs will still be smuggled...
I don't understand how bush can put himself behind those anti-drug messages, wouldn't that be a double standard?
Didn't he used to be one of the good old boys?

It should be heavily taxed.. just watch the deficit disappear!

When it's legalized in Canada and everybody is still going to work and the cops aren't wasting valuable man hours on useless crap perhaps the US can see the error of their ways.

 

[Eli]

lol..

The article doesen't really even talk about the cannabis.

It just talks about the pseudoephedrine, which I agree should be controlled.

Besides, we need someone to get the potent stuff from. We don't need no mexican dirtweeds

 

[Kilgor]

I'm more worried about the bad Canadian comics coming across the border.

 

[Grasshopper27]

Well Duh!!!

Wadda expect them to do, defend their borders with their ONE TANK!!!



Hopper

 

[Zugzwang152]

Originally posted by: Kilgor
I'm more worried about the bad Canadian comics coming across the border.

lol

 

[SnapIT]

Originally posted by: Grasshopper27
Well Duh!!!

Wadda expect them to do, defend their borders with their ONE TANK!!!



Hopper

 

[MinorityReport]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
As pot becomes increasingly easy to get in Canada to the point where it's legal for individual citizens to grow it for personal use this problem will become greater.

Except it's not really a problem if America would just get over it's useless hate for marijuana. The US has booze, but not weed. Doesn't make sense. Canada is beginning to realize the hypocrisy and do something about it.

And for the record I prefer alcohol. I don't like weed much at all, but I still think that it should be legalized if you're gonna legalize booze. So tough, Bush! You can spend billions putting up more border controls, but you're wasting money.

Skoorb, you have to understand Bush and the way GOP works a little more. When he is talking of expenditures in border control, defense, internet secirity, law enforcement in general, see the $$$$$ aspect.

Companies and businesses who helped him come to power wish to earn profits with his laws. That is exactly what he is doing. Bush admin cares less if you and I are swming in loads of weed or hasish.

National interest is a lovely term to cover it .. but the "real" interest is of the capitalists and business owners who will profit from it. In a sense it IS national interest but closely inspected its the busniess interest of few top people.

For example : Digital US passport athentication and signatures.

I know a busniess which is lobbying for Homeland security to be pased wth the toughest conditions .

WHY ? Cause their product will be given a market and be used widely if laws are passed for new passports that will be plastic and digitalized. All it comes down to is profits for few.

Lets take this : More than 2 millon white collared people have been unemployed since 9/11 and half of silicon valley is empty yet the sale of luxury cars over $120k is 7% more than last year .. constant rise.

What does it show > The rich and powerful profit from any situation. Iraq or Iran, Homeland Security or 9/11 ...

9/11 has made more people richer than the dot com boom did. What an irony.

 

[Grasshopper27]

Does no one in Canada like the one tank joke any more?

 

[Kilgor]

I'm also worried about all the cheap Canadian coins that seem to be showing up in my pocket. I've found about a $1 of it in the past month it suck when you go to get a soda out of the machine and one of your nickels is Canadian :|. I think it's a plot to devalue our money.

 

[TheShiz]

weed will most likely be legal here within 5-10 years, as it should be.