CANADIAN LAWMAKERS URGE LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

TORONTO -- A parliamentary committee called for legalizing marijuana use
among adults, increasing pressure on the government to shift drug laws away
from the zero-tolerance policy of the United States.

The report by the Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs recommended that Canada
adopt a system that regulates marijuana the same way as alcohol, and
expunge criminal records for marijuana possession.

"There is no good reason to subject the consumers of cannabis to the
application of criminal law," said Sen. Pierre Nolin of the Progressive
Conservative party. "In a free society as ours, it's up to the individual
to decide whether to consume cannabis or not."

While not binding, the report will force Prime Minister Jean Chretien's
Liberal Party to explain what provisions it accepts or rejects and why.

Under current law, marijuana possession is illegal in Canada. Last year,
the government passed regulations allowing eligible medical patients to
grow and possess marijuana.