CHRETIEN SAYS HE'S OPPOSED TO RELAXING MARIJUANA LAWS

WINNIPEG -- Prime Minister Jean Chretien says he's never touched marijuana,
with or without inhaling.

And he doesn't want to relax Canada's marijuana laws in the wake of the
controversy over Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati, who is being allowed
to keep his Olympic gold medal despite testing positive for the drug.

On Friday, Chretien cautiously endorsed Rebagliati being allowed to keep
the medal.

"He won the medal -- that is the point, and they claim that this drug is
not something that helps and athlete to perform better," Chretien said on a
Winnipeg radio talk show.

Asked by talk show host Peter Warren if he had every tried the drug,
Chretien said, "No, I'm sure. Apparently (U.S. President Bill) Clinton
smoked it but did not inhale, and other leaders have said they used it. For
me, I don't even use a cigarette."

Later in the day, Chretien was asked during a meeting with local high
school students if he intended to legalize marijuana.

The question brought loud cheers from some older students, but Chretien won
even louder applause when he said, "The best thing is not to take cigarette
or marijuana or any drugs."