'B.C. BUD' IS BAD NEWS, DRUG CZAR SAYS

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

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 country 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.