LIGHTEN MARIJUANA LAWS BUT REMEMBER, IT'S STILL ILLEGAL AT THE BORDER: U.S.

As Prime Minister Jean Chretien muses about decriminalizing possession of
small amounts of marijuana, authorities south of the border say Canadians
should remember that no matter which way the smoke blows, laws in the
United States are not changing.

County court officials in Bellingham say their system is already strained
by a string of border busts of B.C. truckers.

"It's a terrible situation. The judges don't like them. The jails are full,
and we wish they would stop," said Whatcom County prosecutor Rosemary
Koholakula. "It's my time. It's the judge's time. It's court time and
finding them a place in jail."

About 200 people in Vancouver joined supporters in more than 250 cities
worldwide on Saturday in a march for the legalization of marijuana.

The federal government intends to introduce legislation this spring to
decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. The bill would not
make marijuana use legal but would replace criminal penalties with fines --
and those fined would not have records.

U.S. Ambassador Paul Celluci has suggested that the plan may not create
tension at the border if Canada remains tough on criminal trafficking and
cultivation.

U.S. border authorities say there has been a spike in busts since the
introduction of heightened customs vigilance in the World Trade Center attacks.

Just last week, inspectors in Blaine seized more than $3 million worth of
marijuana, charging a Port Moody trucker with importation and possession to
distribute controlled substances. The bust was one of six major marijuana
seizures which totalled 700 kilograms in April -- up from 185 kg in April 2002.

In some cases, prosecutors believe the trucking companies are agents of
smugglers and, in others, they are working independently. Koholakula
rejects the suggestion that any are unwitting victims.

"In none of these cases do we think that the truckers don't know what's
going on," she said. "I don't know about tightening up of Canada's laws --
part of our problem is that it's so easy to manufacture marijuana."