UK MINISTER IN BROUHAHA OVER MARIJUANA

LONDON (Reuters) -- Britain's interior minister Jack Straw, whose son is
accused of selling marijuana to an undercover reporter, on Saturday
rejected calls for the drug to be legalized.

``This is potentially a dangerous drug and of course should not be
legalized,'' said the Home Secretary after his name was finally made public
following a nine-day legal farce that profoundly embarrassed the government.

The hardline minister, an ardent advocate of ``zero tolerance'' toward
juvenile crime, said doctors and pharmaceutical companies could already
apply for licenses to research the medicinal benefits of marijuana.

He said that if campaigners could prove the drug was not dangerous, then
the government would have to think again about legalizing it.

But he said there was no evidence to undermine his own fiercely held
belief. ``The United Nations has repeatedly said this drug is narcotic and
dangerous,'' he told BBC Radio.

Straw's 17-year-old son William is alleged to have sold a small quantity of
marijuana for 10 pounds ($16.46) to a reporter from a tabloid newspaper. He
could still face charges but may be let off with a caution.

English law prevented his name -- and therefore his father's -- being
published because he was under 18.

But a High Court judge lifted a gag order on Friday after Straw's name was
carried in Irish, Scottish and French media.

The case has caused both personal heartache and political embarrassment to
Straw, one of the Labor government's most implacable opponents of
legalizing marijuana.

Tackling teenage crime has been a personal political crusade for Straw, who
has attacked parents who refuse to take responsibility for their children's
misbehavior.

Now Straw, whose stance has been backed by both police and teachers, faces
a parental nightmare.

``I'm not happy with the prospect of my son receiving a criminal
conviction. If that is what happens, of course I'm not,'' he said.

``But that is a natural consequence -- if it does happen -- of him doing
something unlawful. We have to face the consequences,'' he added.

Straw, a former lawyer, denied claims that marijuana use was on the
increase in Britain -- even though he conceded that ``quite a lot'' of
children at his son's school used the drug.

He argued: ``Every day millions of people break the law on speeding but
there is an overwhelming case for the control of speed by speed limits.
Because laws are broken, it doesn't mean they should not be there.''

Prime Minister Tony Blair has given his wholehearted backing to Straw, who
has no intention of resigning.

His evident personal pain has also struck a chord in Britain.

``Most parents will be thinking `There but for the grace of God go I,'''
said Margaret Morrissey of the National Confederation of Parent Teachers
Associations.

Chief Superintendent Brian Mackenzie, president of the police
superintendents' association, applauded Straw for his ``great courage. No
parent could be their children's keeper for 24 hours a day.''