B.C. MARIJUANA NOT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE, COP SAYS

Attributes High Potency Myth to Vocal Pot Advocates

B.C.'s formidable reputation as the province with the highest potency
marijuana is a myth sustained by its pro-marijuana environment, one of
B.C.'s top drug cops said yesterday.

"You can grow equally potent marijuana in Manitoba, or Ontario or
Quebec," said Sgt. Scott Rintoul, an RCMP drug awareness officer.

On Monday, the United Nations released its annual World Drug Report,
concentrating heavily on cannabis, a drug consumed by 162 million
people annually.

B.C. Bud's reputation, Rintoul said, is the result of the large number
of "outspoken" pro-marijuana advocates in the province. He said the
claim that B.C. has the highest THC content of anywhere in Canada is a
fallacy.

"I think Health Canada's labs would show some pretty potent stuff
coming out of Ontario and Quebec as well," said Rintoul, adding that
RCMP in B.C. commonly sees marijuana with potency levels of 10 to 15
per cent.

The country's high potency marijuana, Rintoul said, has nothing to do
with climate, but is the result of genetics and proper plant
cultivation. B.C. used to produce more marijuana than all other
provinces combined, Rintoul said. In recent years, other provinces,
most noticeably Quebec and Ontario, have begun to catch up.