LEGALIZED POT COULD MEAN CLAMPDOWN

DETROIT -- If Canada legalizes marijuana, the United States will be forced
to further tighten its borders, U.S. drug czar John Walters said yesterday.

"In my view, you don't make a major decision involving a dangerous drug
without telling people what the dangers are," said Walters, director of the
Office of National Drug Control Policy.

He was scheduled to tour the U.S.-Canada border near Windsor, Ontario today
and meet with law-enforcement and drug-prevention officials.

Walters' trip to Detroit came the same week that Prime Minister Jean
Chretien and U.S. President George W. Bush visited to report progress in
tightening security at U.S.-Canada crossings while keeping goods flowing
between the world's largest trading partners.

The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest crossing point between Canada and the U.S.

Walters' comments came a week after a Senate committee called for the
legalization of pot use among adults and increasing pressure on the U.S. to
shift its drug laws away from zero-tolerance policies.

The committee urged Ottawa to regulate marijuana the same way as alcohol
and to expunge criminal records for possession.

Last year, Canada passed laws allowing eligible patients to grow and
possess marijuana for medical use.

Critics believe the proposal could have widespread ramifications for the
U.S. Some south of the border are concerned about the amount of
Canadian-grown marijuana crossing into their country.

But a number of U.S. states have taken small steps toward permitting
medical marijuana even though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that
there is no exception in federal law for people to use the drug.

In Santa Cruz, Calif., city leaders will join medical-marijuana supporters
at a pot giveaway Tuesday at city hall as a signal to federal justice
officials who broke up a medical-marijuana club in the city.

"We want to call attention to this issue," said Mayor Christopher Krohn.
"There was an injustice here being done, and I think it's incumbent of the
elected representatives to stand up for their constituents."