By Jon Hiltz
In an unusual conversation between Canadian and Chinese officials, China has asked Canada to do something about the reported flow of illegal cannabis into the country.
A federal memo originating from the Canadian government, obtained through the Access to Information Act, cites a meeting in April 2017 between deputy ministers from the two countries. The memo stated, “China is concerned about what Canada is doing to stem the flow of illicit cannabis into China and [Canada] will be working with them on this issue.”
Before the documents surfaced, there had been no instances where China directly pointed a finger at Canada regarding illegal drugs of any kind.
The talks over Canadian cannabis heading to China came up during discussions on how to halt the illegal import of Chinese opiates heading into Canada, a problem which has thrown fuel on the fire of a serious opioid epidemic currently gripping North America.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Canada had no comment on the issue. However, Andrew Gowing from Public Safety Canada told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., “the clandestine nature of illegal cannabis exportation from Canada to any country, including China, makes it difficult to estimate exactly how often it occurs.”
Gowing added that all countries now “live in an increasingly global and interconnected world where crime has no borders. Canadian law enforcement works closely with a number of international partners, including Chinese law enforcement, to disrupt international drug trafficking networks and combat international drug trafficking.”
In January, Statistics Canada reported approximately $1.2 billion worth of cannabis, which totaled about 20 percent of the country’s illicit production, was exported and sold internationally in 2017. Much of that marijuana goes to the United States, with Canadian federal law enforcement estimating between 50 and 80 percent of cannabis grown in British Columbia is bound for America.
Although it’s unclear at this time what Canada plans to do about this massive illegal green wave heading beyond its borders, Gowing stated that the government is aware and doing what they can to curb the issue.
“The government has committed to ensuring that police have the appropriate tools and other resources in place to strictly enforce the law.”
