SCOTLAND YARD EASES UP ON POT ARRESTS

Police Say They'll Concentrate On Harder Drugs; Marijuana Not A Priority

LONDON (AP) - Scotland Yard plans to ease its enforcement of laws against
possessing marijuana so officers can focus instead on arresting crack
cocaine dealers and violent criminals, police said today.

As part of a pilot program in one high-crime district, London police will
release people found with a small amount of marijuana with just a warning
instead of bringing them to a police station for formal arrest, Scotland
Yard said.

"We are not turning a blind eye to crime, but we have to prioritize," said
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens. "Possession and use of
cannabis is not a priority."

The experimental program, whose start date has not yet been set, will allow
officers to give on-the-spot warnings to those found with marijuana and
then seize the drugs.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said officers will use their discretion to decide
when the amount is large enough to merit arrest.

Stevens has said that processing an arrest for even the smallest amount of
marijuana can take an officer off the streets for as long as six hours.

Officials believe department resources could be better used against drug
dealers and violent criminals.

If the program is successful in Lambeth, a high-crime district in south
London, it could be expanded to the rest of the city, Scotland Yard said.