U.S. drug czar John Walters used a visit to Ottawa last week to praise the new Canadian conservative government for the country's cooperation in the drug war but also called for a crackdown on marijuana use and trafficking, the CanWest News Service reported Feb. 23.

Walters on the one hand praised Canada for its "outstanding cooperation" while on the other saying that the government needs to do more to prevent exports of so-called "B.C. bud" to the U.S. He also wants Canada to act more swiftly on extradition requests. Walters said marijuana growers "think the border will either protect them from risk of being arrested, or if they're arrested, they'll face lesser consequences than they would if they were caught in the United States."

"Today in the United States, more young people are dependent on marijuana than any other illegal drug," said Walters. "More teens seek treatment for marijuana dependency than all other illegal drugs combined, more than alcohol."