BRITONS RALLY FOR LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

LONDON -- Braving torrential rain, thousands gathered in a park in
London on Saturday to call for the legalization of marijuana.

Organizers estimated that 30,000 people attended the Cannabis Freedom
Festival in the Brixton area of south London.

Participants heard speeches calling for the decriminalization of
cannabis, listened to bands from Europe, Africa and Brazil, absorbed
the verses of "poets for pot" and browsed stalls offering hemp ice
cream, hemp clothing and a cookbook entitled "Cooking with Ganja."

There were no reports of arrests.

On Friday, police said they would no longer charge people found in
possession of a small amount of marijuana in the south London
district where the rally took place.

Scotland Yard said officers would release users with a warning,
rather than taking them to a station to be charged, so police could
concentrate on arresting crack cocaine dealers and violent offenders
in the high-crime area.

If the pilot program is successful it may be expanded to other areas
of London, Scotland Yard said.