SWISS COURT DOWNGRADES ECSTASY DRUG

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- Switzerland's supreme court ruled Tuesday that
dealing in the drug Ecstasy is not a serious crime.

The tribunal overturned a one-year prison sentence given by state court in
Bern to a man convicted of selling 1,000 tablets of the hallucinogen.

The court also rejected a plea from the state of Aargau for a stiffer
sentence against a man sentenced to nine months in jail for selling more
than 1,300 tablets of the drug.

While Ecstasy ``is in no way a harmless substance,'' there is no evidence it
poses a serious health risk, the Federal Tribunal said.

The drug is mostly used by ``socially integrated people'' and doesn't
generally lead to criminal behavior, said the court, which categorized
Ecstasy as a ``soft'' drug.

Under Swiss law, serious drugs offenses -- including heroin and cocaine
dealing -- carry jail sentences as long as 20 years.