editorial: how canada became europe’s weed dealer
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cannabis plants.
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a july 24 headline in london’s daily telegraph declared that the unintended consequences of canada’s legalization of marijuana are turning belgium into a “narco state.”
reporter max stephens reported that the saturation of canada’s cannabis market — after the drug was legalized here — has spawned an industrial-scale network of criminal gangs across europe who thrive on the lucrative profits.
“farms legalized under justin trudeau, the former prime minister of canada, are supplying smugglers with high-strength marijuana to be shipped into some of the continent’s major ports,” stephens reports.
“legalization has left canada so saturated with cannabis that gangs can make five times more money smuggling it into europe than selling it domestically, according to police intelligence,” he writes. once inside antwerp, a kilo of cannabis skyrockets from 800 pounds sterling ($1,497 cad) in value to 4,500 pounds sterling ($8,400 cad).
the head of belgian customs told the telegraph that this is the first year more cannabis has been seized than cocaine in the combined port of antwerp-bruges.
kristian vanderwaeren blames the increase in cannabis being smuggled through the port on trudeau’s legalization of marijuana.
belgian customs seized 32 tons of the drug in 2025, with 21 tons arriving from canada. a map accompanying the article depicts how cannabis is shipped from vancouver, montreal, saint john and halifax to belgium.
there, criminal syndicates pay dock workers large sums of cash to move shipping containers to parts of the port where they won’t be searched by customs. criminals now prefer cannabis to cocaine because the prison sentences are lower and the profit margins are higher than ever.
and lest you think this is all harmless trade in a drug that’s legal in this country, think again.
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“criminal syndicates use the profits to fund other illegal enterprises including people smuggling, arms dealing and terrorist networks,” the telegraph reports.
former prime minister trudeau was fond of preaching to other countries on everything from tariffs to climate change. all that rarefied air on the high moral ground can go to your head.
and fair enough, europe needs to get its smuggling house in order. but it would appear our liberal pot policies have turned canada into the grubby little drug dealer to the world. we should be more careful how we dump our surplus weed.
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