UK TORIES SPLIT OVER DRUG FINES

LONDON, England -- The U.K.'s opposition Conservative Party has suddenly
split between advocates of a tough new policy against marijuana and senior
party figures who admit they smoked the drug 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 offence 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. If someone
possesses drugs, the minimum for a first offence will be a fixed penalty of
100 pounds ($150). But not for a second offence. Then it's into court," said
Widdecombe, who cited New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's anti-crime policies
as her inspiration.

Cannabis accounted for 77 percent of the drug possession cases in 1998, the
Home Office reported. In half of the total cases, the defendant was simply
cautioned, and about one of four was fined. Senior police officials have
said that enforcing the law against marijuana is not high among their
priorities.

Like all policies announced at the conference, 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 said the policy was
impracticable and 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 Times said her policy would
"criminalize thousands of otherwise law-abiding individuals."

Then seven senior Tories admitted to the Mail on Sunday newspaper 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, the party's 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.
"I think you expect human beings to explore and experiment. If you don't you
haven't been young," Norman said.

Culture spokesman Peter Ainsworth said he tried marijuana, but "it made me
feel slightly sick." Welfare spokesman David Willetts admitted trying two
puffs, but not liking it.

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

Portillo, who has admitted to a past gay relationship, declined to talk
about marijuana. "I think I've given enough information about my younger
days, don't you?" said Portillo.

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 contrary
pressures either to soften the policy, or dismiss the admitted marijuana
users.

The governing Labour Party has avoided a debate on marijuana. The Liberal
Democrats, the third largest party in Parliament, want to create a Royal
Commission to examine the issue and recommend possible changes in the law.
The party's leader, Charles Kennedy, said Sunday he personally favoured an
end to criminal penalties.

"I am thoroughly persuaded that where cannabis is concerned, it should be a
prescribable drug for people, for example, who suffer from multiple
sclerosis," Kennedy said in a television interview. Recreational use, he
said, should be a civil offence, on a par with littering.