Pubdate: Sat, 09 Nov 2002
Source: London Free Press (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002 The London Free Press a division of Sun Media Corporation.
Contact:  http://www.fyilondon.com/londonfreepress/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/243
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2043/a02.html
Author: Mark Hillman
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

POT SUPPLIED TO U.S. BY CANADA MINISCULE

Regarding the article, Canada ranks third supplying U.S. pot (Nov. 3). If 
anyone bothered checking the actual numbers, this story might have had a 
different spin.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Drug Threat 
Assessment 2002 (http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs/716/marijuan.htm#Top), 
"Although the breadth of its availability is clear, no exact estimates of 
the amount of marijuana available in the United States have been 
determined. The only concrete data that can provide insight, albeit 
limited, into marijuana availability are seizure statistics."

In the year 2000, 2.65 million lbs. of marijuana were seized in the U.S. Of 
that, 7,218 pounds were seized at the Canada-U.S. border. So .2 per cent of 
the pot seized in the U.S. comes from Canada and we're called a source 
country. I'm sure our southern neighbours are more concerned about the 
230,000 pounds of cocaine seized in 2000 than they are about 7,000 pounds 
of "BC Bud." Or they should be.

The data is out there, people; don't let them spoon feed you this nonsense.

Mark Hillman, Sarnia
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jackl