BC Bud

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BC Bud is a generic term for several varieties of potent cannabis grown in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The term has become almost a brand name, especially in California, Oregon and Washington where most of the province's exports end up. The United States Drug Enforcement Agency considers BC production to be a major problem, given the porous United States-Canada border, and has launched several major initiatives to cut down on its flow, including collaborative operations targeting marijuana activists such as Marc Emery.

However, a high tolerance for cannabis use in BC, awareness of the role of it as a cash export crop (worth an estimated $6 billion annually), and the rise of the British Columbia Marijuana Party (and the federal Marijuana Party of Canada which got its start in Quebec), have all tended to make it difficult for Canadian or American authorities to interfere effectively. This remains a significant bone of contention between the US and Canada, and is one of many US-Canada border problems driving changes to both nations' policies.

The early history of cannabis production was centered in hippie communities in the Gulf Islands and Kootenay area, in climate conditions perfect for outdoor growing. It is believed that much of BC Bud currently sold for export originates from hydroponic grow-ops in the Lower Mainland, with significant amounts still added by outdoor growers throughout the province.

BC has many compassion clubs, head shops and activists challenging the current legal and social views on cannabis. Vancouver's former Mayor, Larry Campbell, has called for the legalization of cannabis in British Columbia.

From a commercial point of view, the fact that many growers in BC informally cooperate to keep quality high, while competing fiercely in an illegal business, is of interest to some in the agricultural economics community, as well as students of trademarks, agricultural policy, competition, and black markets. Like Bordeaux, France, a region synonymous worldwide with an intoxicating export, in this case Bordeaux wine, British Columbia is increasingly known for the premium quality of its marijuana.

See also: illegal drug trade, black markets, trademarkTemplate:Cannabis resources

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