Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Anti-Drug Pressure on China Suggested

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said China’s most-favored-nation trade status should be ended unless it cooperates with U.S. anti-drug efforts. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) said there has been a “dramatic” increase in U.S.-bound heroin shipped through China. He also cited “credible reports” that the opium poppy, source of heroin as well as legitimate painkillers, is again being grown in China. Biden made the comments during questioning of Bob Martinez, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, at a hearing on the Bush Administration’s latest drug strategy.