Ishaq Mohamed

Affecting Civic Transformation: Canadian Importation of Illegal

Drugs
At times, you may wonder, how do illegal drugs find its way into our country. There are
two answers to this question. The drug is either produced in Canada or it is imported into
Canada. Even though Canadian border services are very strict, there are still drugs coming into
Canada every day. The problem is the safety of the Canadians who use these illegal substances.
As seen on the Government of Canadas website, 24% of Canadians will use an illegal
drug at some point in their life. The problems with this are not only about the dangerous health
situations the drugs cause, it is about the harmful chemicals that the producers can put in the
drug. This fear is only emphasised when Canadians are using drugs from foreign countries that
are very impoverished. These poor producers can do whatever they want just to make more
money. Since everything is done illegally, there is no inspection or tests which leave a huge risk
for this one- fourth of Canadians who used and uses illegal drugs.
This is sort of a stereotype, but many people who deal with drugs end up into violent
and criminal acts. It is very dangerous to associate yourselves with these people, because they
are not scared of killing.
Cannabis (marijuana) is the number one illegal drug that is used in Canada.
Unfortunately, young children make up a big proportion of the people who consume marijuana.
Countries like Mexico, Afghanistan, Paraguay, South Africa, India and several countries in the
Caribbean are the areas to blame for drugs.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Ishaq Mohamed
The Canadian government didnt put much effort into the use of illegal drugs. In 1996,
the government of Canada passed the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. They then started
tightening border security.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), French: Agence des services frontaliers du
Canada (ASFC) has done a remarkably good job stopping illegal drugs from coming into
Canada. In 2013, the CBSA reported 9,431 seizures of drugs. Some of these busts made
newspaper headlines with huge amounts seized. The number one drug that was seized was
cocaine, with 291 seizures and 1,067.30 Kg of cocaine captured. Heroin, opium and marijuana
followed up on this. All border crossings in Canada have scanners where they can see through
transportation vehicles and luggage bags. Many of these seizures were made possible due to this
advanced technology.
Even though the CBSA is stopping many drug smugglers, there are still amounts of
illegal substances coming into our country. The number is unknown since it is illegal. The
problems like health issues and crime related activity still exists.
From my beliefs, I think this problem exists because of the addiction to drugs and for
money. To see how much people would go through just to make money and to get high is
ridiculous. I think all the problems that the world has when it comes to drugs and alcohol is that
some humans cannot control themselves. They cannot say no to their desires and will do
anything just to achieve it. If all humans can stop and control their emotional thoughts, there
wouldnt be any drugs or alcohol related incidents. My honest opinion to these problems existing
is because of the way people cant be satisfied with a normal job or a normal life.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Ishaq Mohamed
The best way to reduce this problem until it is gone is to campaign. The International
Association Against Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse (IADTDA) are doing a terrible job
campaigning to raise awareness to this problem. To honest, I never heard of this organization in
my entire life before I did this research. They could either educate citizens or they could tell
them the consequences and put fear in their heart. I think the IADTDA should do more than they
are doing right now. Also, the countrys that are known for producing these drugs should try
busting suppliers more often.
I think illegal drugs being imported into Canada are very dangerous for the health of the
consumers. I believe the only way for this problem to be solved is by having the people make the
right decision and stop consuming illegal substances.

Sunday, January 11, 2015