BRITONS MARCH FOR MARIJUANA

Thousands Stream Through Central London to Support Legalization

LONDON, March 28—Basking in the support of mainstream politicians, leading
newspapers and magazines, and other pillars of the Establishment, thousands
of demonstrators marched through the heart of London today on behalf of a
fashionable political idea that has been a complete non-starter in the
United States: legalizing marijuana.

Some of the marchers wore their hair in neon-bright shades of chartreuse,
pink and purple, and many lit up hand-rolled "spliffs" -- that's the
British version of the American term "joint" -- along the way. But the tone
was laid-back and orderly; there were no arrests or confrontations.

The size and the respectability of the march -- with a member of Parliament
and a nationally prominent editor leading a mile-long serpent of people
through the downtown streets -- reflects the growing divide between
European nations and the United States on the prohibition of marijuana for
medical purposes and for recreation.

Over the past 10 years, U.S. drug laws have been made tougher; some states
now impose stiff mandatory jail sentences on marijuana offenders. There is
no member of Congress who supports legalizing marijuana and minimal media
support for the idea.

Europe, meanwhile, has been loosening prohibitions on pot. The Netherlands
has legalized possession of amounts up to an ounce; France and some German
states have moved to de facto legalization, with users usually given
nothing more than a warning by police. Italians passed a nationwide
referendum calling for legalization, but the highest court voided the vote.

In Britain, marijuana remains a controlled substance on the law books, but
in practice most offenders get off with a warning. Last summer, when the
Conservative Party lost control of the government to the more liberal,
youth-oriented Labor Party, there was speculation that the law might be
rewritten.

The Labor prime minister, Tony Blair, has said he intends to keep drug laws
unchanged. But the government's position was undermined recently when the
son of Blair's home secretary (roughly equivalent to the U.S. attorney
general) was caught selling marijuana -- and released with only a "caution"
from police.

In recent months there has been increasing clamor here for legalization.
The movement has the open support of some members of Parliament, many
columnists and academics, and business tycoons such as Richard Branson of
Virgin Atlantic Airways and Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop and
Britain's leading female entrepreneur.

A national newspaper, the Independent, has launched a full-scale campaign
for legalization, and some newsmagazines have signed on as well.

© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company