B.C. OFFICIAL POT CAPITAL OF CANADA

Pot. Weed. Grass. Mary-Jane. Ganja. Wacky Tobacky. Whatever name it
goes by, cannabis is one of the drugs of choice among many British
Columbians.

Studies from a report released by the Centre for Addictions Research
of B.C., along with the Centre for Applied Research on Mental Health
and Addictions illustrate that British Columbians use cannabis more
than the rest of Canadians.

The CARBC and the CARMHA analyzed data from the 2004 Canadian
Addictions Survey and found that 53 per cent of people in B.C.
reported having used or tried cannabis as opposed to 44 per cent for
the rest of Canada. B.C.'s reputation as the 'pot capital' of Canada
prompted the CARBC to do this analysis.

"We needed to find something that was of public interest to report
on," said CARBC research associate Jodi Sturge.

Even though cannabis from B.C.--known as 'B.C. bud'--is rumored to be
stronger, findings from the Fraser Institute suggest otherwise.

"THC content is not different from the rest," said Sturge, referring
to tetrahydrocannabinol, the main chemical in cannabis which gives
users their buzz. "I think really what is going on for 'B.C. bud' is
with availability. You'll have a variety of products available--more
types to choose from."

More British Columbians also stated that cannabis was easily
accessible and that occasional and regular use was harmless. This
relaxed view towards cannabis may also explain the support in B.C. for
making it legally available. Therefore, changing the legal status of
cannabis may not change people's attitudes, nor would it discourage
them from continuing to use it, noted Sturge. She suggests an
Australian model could be adopted, where there are more tickets and
penalties, as opposed to jail-terms and prison times.

"We need to think of different ways of dealing with it besides the way
the law deals with them right now," said Sturge. "I think the biggest
thing is to really inform the users of the harm related to using the
drug."

While these studies suggest there is more occasional and low-risk use
of cannabis in B.C., rates of problematic use are not significantly
different from the rest of Canada. This trend could be on the rise,
however, as the report states: "greater availability, prevalence and
acceptability of cannabis in B.C. have resulted in an increase in
potentially hazardous use."

Education about health and safety risks and observation of rates of
cannabis use should be continued, said the report.