SOUTH LONDON TO LET POT-SMOKERS ALONE

LONDON -- Marijuana is illegal in Britain, but police in south London have
decided to stop pursuing pot smokers and instead focus their resources on
combating hard drugs and violent crimes.

In a six-month test that began recently, police in the London borough of
Lambeth are issuing warnings to people caught with small amounts of
cannabis. They're confiscating the drug, but are not prosecuting.

The new policy, initiated by the Lambeth Division and approved by the
central Metropolitan Police office, amounts to a de facto decriminalization
of marijuana in one part of the capital and has sparked a national debate
about Britain's drug laws.