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Canuck soldiers smoking up more: Reports
By: Stephanie Rubec, Ottawa Sun (CN ON), 11-14-04

Drug use among Canadian soldiers and Defence Department employees is on the rise, especially during the summer, according to newly released documents. Two military police Criminal Intelligence Program reports obtained by the Sun 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 willcontinue to rise, including the cultivation of marijuana plants," the July 2003 report says.

PEAK IN JULY

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

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.

MOST NOT INVOLVED

"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 on Vancouver Island, followed by CFB Edmonton and CFB Borden.

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

The July 2003 report recommends that the military set up special drug squads for the summer when young recruits are in training, and launch an education strategy to deter soldiers from doing drugs.