POT ARRESTS HALTED IN LONDON SUBURB

Officials In Brixton Say Crack Cocaine And Heroin Are Bigger Problems.

LONDON There was no mistaking the aroma wafting over the market
stalls Monday in the south London community of Brixton. It was the
odor of marijuana, accompanied by the heady whiff of freedom.

This teeming, underprivileged corner of London, already notorious as
a haven for drugs and crime, has been chosen to pilot a small but
significant experiment that could open the door to the
decriminalization of marijuana in Britain.

Starting Monday, and for the next six months, no one in the Brixton
area caught in possession of the drug will be prosecuted, local
police have announced.

Those found in possession of small amounts will have their drugs
confiscated and be issued a warning. But there will be no criminal
record, and police no longer will stop and search suspects,
effectively making Brixton the first place in Britain where people
can use marijuana without fear of being caught.

The government insists there are no plans to decriminalize marijuana.
The Brixton experiment has been dismissed simply as a local
initiative in an area battling to contain a far bigger problem with
crack cocaine and heroin.

Critics have accused the government of seeking to legalize marijuana
by stealth. Supporters have hailed it as a pragmatic step that will
aid race relations, save public money and free up police resources.

But all agree on the significance of the move.

"It's amazing. I was absolutely stunned when I heard the news. It
came almost out of the blue," said Paula Woodward of Drugscope, an
independent research agency.

"People are going to be watching Brixton pretty closely to see what
happens in the next six months. If it works, it could happen all over
the country fairly soon."