STOP EXPORT OF 'B.C. BUD'

U.S. Drug Boss: Canada Urged to Crack Down on Marijuana Use

U.S. "drug czar" John Walters wants Canadian officials to crack down
on marijuana use, stop the export of "B.C. bud" to the U.S., and
co-operate with extradition requests.

That tough approach to drugs was tempered somewhat yesterday by the
director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, who
thanked Canadian officials and law enforcement in Ottawa for their
"outstanding co-operation" on the "war against drugs."

"Today in the United States, more young people are dependent on
marijuana than any other illegal drug," he said, adding, "More teens
seek treatment for marijuana dependency than all other illegal drugs
combined, more than alcohol."

However, Mr. Walters credited a 23-per-cent drop in drug use among
U.S. teens to a variety of controversial initiatives, including
random marijuana testing of high school students, a practice Liberal
Senator Larry Campbell called "ethically repugnant."

Mr. Walters said the U.S. will be looking to Canada to help crack
down on the international flow of drugs -- including the export of
marijuana, particularly that which is grown in B.C.

People who export drugs to the U.S. from Canada "think the border
will either protect them from risk of being arrested, or if they're
arrested, they'll face lesser consequences than they would if they
were caught in the United States," he said. "I think that's the one
issue to make here in Canada."

That means the U.S. will continue asking Canada to extradite its
citizens who have been charged for drug-related offences in the U.S.,
such as the so-called "prince of pot" who lives in British Columbia.

After pressure from U.S. officials, Mark Emery's business that sold
cannabis seeds over the Internet was shut down by Vancouver police in
2005. He now faces extradition over related charges in the U.S. and
could face 30 years to life in prison if found guilty.

When asked about extraditions, Mr. Walters simply stated, "We enforce
our laws." He declined to comment on Mr. Emery's case.

Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the New York-based
Drug Policy Alliance, countered Mr. Walters' claims, noting "nearly
half a million Americans are in jail right now for drug offences."

"To be tough on violent crime (and) to be tough on predatory crime
makes all the sense in the world," but mandatory sentences for drug
crimes lead to "tremendous injustices," he said at a separate press
conference in Ottawa yesterday.

Mr. Nadelmann called his administration's refusal to look at safe
injection sites for heroin users -- programs that have proven to
reduce overdoses and the spread of disease in cities like Vancouver
- -- is "intensely illogical."