BRITISH LAWMAKERS SPLIT ON MARIJUANA

LONDON -- Britain's opposition Conservative Party has suddenly split
between advocates of a tough new policy against marijuana and senior
party figures who admit they smoked it in their youth.

The issue flared up at the party's annual conference, where criminal
justice spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe announced a policy of mandatory
fines for the first offense of possessing any amount of marijuana.

"It means zero tolerance of possession. No more getting away with just
a caution, no more hoping that a blind eye will be turned," said
Widdecombe, who cited New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's anti-crime
policies as her inspiration. The policy called for an automatic $145
fine on first offense.

Widdecombe's announcement was calculated to be popular with members of
the traditional law-and-order party and attractive to swing voters.

However, the Police Superintendents Association called the policy
unenforceable. The Daily Telegraph, usually a cheerleader for the
Conservatives, said in an editorial that Widdecombe "displayed almost
zero common sense." An editorial in the London Times said her policy
would "criminalize thousands of otherwise law-abiding
individuals."

Then seven senior Tories admitted to the Mail on Sunday that they had
used marijuana.

"It was quite hard to go through Cambridge University in the '70s
without doing it a few times," said Francis Maude, party spokesman on
foreign affairs.

Environment spokesman Archie Norman said he tried marijuana and had no
regrets. "It didn't do much for me. I turned to drink instead," Norman
said.

The issue illustrated a split in the party between Widdecombe's hard
line and Treasury spokesman Michael Portillo's appeal for a more
inclusive and caring party.

Portillo, who has acknowledged a past gay relationship, declined to
talk about marijuana. "I think I've given enough information about my
younger days," Portillo said.

The split poses a dilemma for William Hague, the party leader who
boasted recently of downing 14 pints of beer a day as a teenager. He
faces pressures from one side to soften the policy, and from the other
to dismiss the admitted marijuana users.

Cannabis accounted for 77 percent of the drug possession cases in
1998. Senior police officials have said that enforcing the law against
marijuana is not high among their priorities.