cannabisnews.com: Powerful Pot is as Valuable as Cocaine! Powerful Pot is as Valuable as Cocaine! Posted by FoM on January 15, 1999 at 07:27:30 PT USA TODAY SEATTLE -- A new grade of Marijuana grown in British Columbia is so potent it is being traded pound-for-pound for Cocaine in the United States, U.S. and Canadian authorities say. The drug trade is prompting concerns among law enforcement officials who have seen drug seizures and arrests soar. Marijuana smuggling arrests along the border of British Columbia and Washington state have risen from six people in 1995 to 358 in 1998. Seizures of the marijuana, nicknamed "B.C. Bud," have risen from less than 10 pounds to 2,613 pounds during the same period, Customs officials say. Although the statistics are modest when compared with other drug seizures, authorities say they are fearful of the destructive potential the newly invigorated drug trade could have in the Northwest and beyond. B.C. Bud is the No. 1 drug being smuggled into the United States from British Columbia. Authorities in British Columbia say cocaine obtained by Canadian drug dealers in exchange for the marijuana has begun fueling a fledgling crack cocaine trade north of the border. "The real significance of B.C. Bud is this circular pattern it's created with cocaine," U.S. Customs Director Raymond Kelly said. Cpl. Brian Hall of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's drug awareness section in British Columbia says the marijuana appeared in the Vancouver area in the mid-1980s. Canadian authorities estimate there are 3,500 to 5,000 indoor growing operations in the Vancouver area alone. They produce an illegal crop worth $600 million a year. The marijuana is grown inside with the use of artificial lights. "You can control the growing conditions, the nutrients, the lighting and the temperature," said Dave Rodriguez, director of a Seattle-based task force of state and federal agencies created by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. "You can get a much better product." Why potency varies The chemical in marijuana that produces the euphoria is delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Here's how it compares: * Mexican marijuana, which is the most common, has a THC level of about 5 percent in a plant. * The THC level in B.C. Bud is about 25 percent. * Authorities say they have found plants with levels as high as 30 percent. Copyright 1999, The Detroit News Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by $$$$$$ on October 18, 2000 at 19:13:26 PT: comment That B.C(bunk crap) s**t's (allright)!,but if you realy wanna get "stoned" try,and smoke some ORGEON-HYDRO. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by marc on January 28, 2000 at 07:28:22 PT strong pot yo that stuff is off the hook i wanna get my lungs on tha sh*t 'cause i can't wait to take a dirt nap [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Hey Now! on January 27, 2000 at 19:38:43 PT hook me up yo Are the police running out of room in their evidencefacilities because I have a huge walk in closet. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by bob dobbs on January 25, 1999 at 11:12:29 PT Alrighty then Where do I get some?! :^) [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by herbie on January 16, 1999 at 11:33:52 PT: wicked thats pretty good stuff how could one get his hands on some of that stuff [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: