B.C.'S HEAVY RAIN THREATENS $1-BILLION IN MARIJUANA REVENUE, ACTIVIST SAYS

British Columbia's marijuana industry is poised to lose $1-billion
this year if the constant rainy weather battering the region doesn't
stop, activist Marc Emery said yesterday.

The B.C. Marijuana Party founder says the mid-May to mid-June growing
season has been attacked by the big three - "cold, clouds and
excessive moisture" - leaving most outdoor plants only about 15
centimetres tall, much smaller than they should be.

"When the soil is really, really wet it tends to move and cause root
rot and waterlogged soil," he said. "Plants can't handle that much
water."

Marijuana buds are also growing mould and a dusting of mildew,
compounding the problem.

Weather is the No. 1 help or hindrance to the illicit $6-billion to
$8-billion B.C. industry. And the problem is stretched right across
the province, "from Vancouver to the Kootenays," Mr. Emery said.

While "$1-billion is nothing to sniff at," he said, about 85 per cent
of B.C.'s pot revenue comes from indoor crops that are not affected by
the rain.

A splash of sun over the next few days might help save the plants, Mr.
Emery said. If it doesn't come before June 25, the end of the growing
season, growers will have to give up on what they've planted and start
over. That's when starter plant and seed merchants will really make
the big bucks, Mr. Emery added. Most outdoor growers also plant
indoors and should bring their plants inside, if possible, to save
them.

Although the B.C. crop is set to suffer, Mr. Emery predicts a bumper
crop in regions west of the Rockies, especially Ontario, Quebec, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia where sunshine is in full supply. Their
success will keep weed prices high - at about $25 to $35 per 0.8-ounce
bag.

"The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away," he said.