Pubdate: Fri, 11 Mar 2005 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2005 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 Author: Tom Blackwell, CanWest News Service Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John) DRUG CZAR LINKS CANADIAN POT TO U.S. WOES High-Test Marijuana Blamed For Rise Of Hospitalizations And Addiction Rate The number of U.S. teenagers and adults ending up in emergency wards or seeking treatment because of marijuana use has soared in recent years and seems linked to the "dramatically" growing influx of high-test Canadian pot, the White House drug czar said yesterday. John Walters estimated the industry is also funnelling "billions" of dollars into the pockets of organized crime north of the border and said Canadian prosecutors tell him they need tougher laws to combat the grow-op bonanza. "The question that is always on our side of the border, and on theirs, when these problems arise is 'How many more people will suffer until we are able to change the trend line?' " The elevated THC content - the active ingredient in pot - of that Canadian marijuana means it can no longer be considered a soft drug, argued Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. His concerns, voiced at a news conference, reflect a growing anxiety among some politicians and government officials in the United States about Canada, a country not traditionally viewed as a major supplier of drugs. The number of U.S. residents admitted to hospital emergency wards because of marijuana use has doubled to 120,000 annually in the past five years, he said. Meanwhile, the number of teenagers seeking treatment for marijuana dependency has grown to the point where it is more than for all other drugs combined, including alcohol, he said. The phenomenon has paralleled a growing potency of marijuana available in North America, from containing one to two per cent THC less than a decade ago to eight per cent or nine per cent and, in some cases, 20 per cent or more in recent years, he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin