Cop Says BC Bud's High Potency is a Myth

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CN BC: B.C. Marijuana Not All It's Cracked Up to Be, Cop Says
by Jeff Hodson, Metro Vancouver, (28 Jun 2006) Metro British Columbia
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.