U.S. GETS HIGH, AND BLAMES CANADA

WASHINGTON - The number of American 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 Thursday.

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?'" he said.

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.

While other countries such as Mexico supply highly potent pot, the big
change is the boom in the Canadian product, Walters said.