OFFICIAL: FLOURISHING, POTENT POT TURN CANADA INTO A DRUG-EXPORTER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Flourishing marijuana crops have turned Canada into
an illicit-drug exporter, according to a Canadian official.

Canada has become a major producer of cannabis, ``especially indoors,''
Solicitor-General Andrew Scott said during Wednesday's final gathering of
the U.N. General Assembly special session on drugs.

``Indeed, we have become an exporting country,'' Scott said. ``Cannabis is
the most commonly used illicit drug in Canada, followed by cocaine and
heroin with moderate use of synthetic drugs.''

U.S. and Canadian officials believe marijuana harvesting now ranks as
British Columbia's most lucrative agricultural product, with illegal
revenues estimated at anywhere from $400 million to more than $3 billion a year.

In the past year, the U.S. Customs Service has nearly doubled its
enforcement effort along the northern border -- especially focusing on
Washington state -- because of a surge of high-quality marijuana smuggled in
from British Columbia.

U.S. officials said the Canadian product is so potent that it can sell for
as much as $6,000 a pound in parts of California -- 10 times the typical
price for marijuana from Mexico.

As a result of the crackdown in the West, U.S. officials say Canadian
growers are stepping up operations in Ontario to exploit markets in New
York, Michigan and New England.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett