Pubdate: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2012 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Douglas Quan, Postmedia News DRUG STUDY QUESTIONS CANADA'S BAD IMAGE Finds Little Evidence Country a World Leader in Ecstasy Production Canada may not be the hotbed of ecstasy and meth production as some reports have suggested, according to new research. In 2009, a widely publicized United Nations World Drug Report said Canada had become a leading producer and exporter of synthetic party drugs, prompting some media outlets to dub Canada "Colombia North." But a study completed for Public Safety Canada last year, and released under access-to-information legislation, says the assertion is supported by little data. "The publication of the 2009 World Drug Report created a media frenzy of the wrong kind for Canada as it has been identified as one of the world's lead producers of amphetamine-type stimulants," the study said. "Yet the proposition that Canada is a primary ATS (amphetamine-type stimulants) producer and exporter may be premature." The findings come at a time when police and public health officials are grappling with a spate of deaths in Western Canada related to the use of ecstasy, also known as MDMA. Since July, there have been 10 ecstasy-related deaths in Alberta. Nine of the cases have been linked to ecstasy that was tainted with PMMA, dubbed by some drug experts as meth's "ugly cousin." In British Columbia, there have been 19 ecstasy-related deaths since August, with five linked to PMMA. The 2009 UN drug report noted that two years earlier, a relatively large amount of methamphetamine (1.54 metric tonnes) and ecstasy (985 kilograms) had been seized in Canada, putting it among the leading nations in the world. The report stated that Canada had become the "most important producer of MDMA for North America" and that since 2006 all uncovered ecstasy labs in Canada had been "large capacity facilities operated principally by Asian organized crime groups." The report also noted that a majority of the meth and ecstasy seized in Australia and Japan had been traced back to Canada. But the Public Safety Canada study says there is still "too much uncertainty" in the data to know Canada's true role in the global synthetic drug trade, and it notes the annual amount of meth seized in Canada has been as low as 60 kilograms. The study suggests Canada may contribute as little as 0.6 per cent or as high as 4.6 per cent of the world's supply of amphetamine-type stimulants. Based on those numbers, "Canada would not be considered as a major producer in the global ATS market under most standards," the study said. Like marijuana, meth and ecstasy can be produced virtually anywhere in the world and "Canada is no more and no less of a global player today than it was five years ago," the study concluded. Lead author Martin Bouchard, a criminology professor at B.C.'S Simon Fraser University, said in an interview Canada is more likely among the Top 15-producing countries, as opposed to the Top 3. Cpl. Luc Chicoine, an RCMP synthetic drug expert in Ottawa, acknowledged Tuesday it is difficult to know how Canada stacks up against other drug-producing countries. But he said it is clear the supply is "way too big" for Canadian demand. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.