Pubdate: Saturday, August 15, 1999
Source: Toronto Star (Canada)
Copyright: 1999, The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Section: page A7
Author: Michael Bettencourt, Staff Reporter
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99.n845.a06.html/all

CANADA NOT ON DRUG BLACKLIST: OFFICIAL

Canada will not be on an influential U.S. list of countries hurting the
American war on drugs, says the Foreign Affairs Department.

Despite a newspaper report yesterday saying the U.S. State Department was
ready to place Canada among the world's top importers of illegal narcotics
into the U.S., the official word from Foreign Affairs is that the idea was
raised, but rejected.

Known as the "Majors" list, the countries on it are deemed to be major
sources of illegal drugs into the United States.

"The idea of putting Canada on the Majors list was floated at the middle
management level of the state department, but was dismissed out of hand,"
said foreign affairs spokesperson Valerie Noftle in a telephone interview
yesterday.

"As far as we're concerned, that's where the issue now sits."

Countries placed on the list face financial sanctions by various American
government agencies.

She did say the issue reached senior Foreign Affairs officials, but would
not say whether they took action in the matter or not.

Noftle also hinted Foreign Affairs was upset at the U.S. state department
for making the idea public.

"Pointing the finger at each other is obviously not the best way to deal
with the challenges of drugs," she said.  "Drugs are a problem that exist
everywhere, and unilateral action by any party will not solve anything."

The 1998 list currently contains 28 countries, including Jamaica, Brazil
and Colombia, and will be updated for 1999 by November.

The Globe and Mail reported yesterday that State Department officials were
planning to place Canada on the list because of concerns over light
sentences for drug offences, lax reporting rules on large transfers of
money, weak control of chemicals entering and leaving the country,
extensive marijuana supply from B.C., and cutbacks to anti-drug RCMP forces. 

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