PARIS, Sept 30 (Reuter) Justice Minister Elisabeth Guigou on Tuesday
ruled out any liberalisation of France's strict drug laws, backpedalling
on hints the Socialistled government might be more tolerant of soft
drugs.

``All drugs are dangerous,'' Guigou told RTL radio, answering with a
flat ``no'' when asked if the government which came to power in June
might relax narcotics laws.

``Prohibition must remain a point of reference. As justice minister and
as a mother, I consider that's a necessity,'' she said.

Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin admitted during the campaign that
he had twice smoked hashish and suggested he would decriminalise use of
soft drugs if elected.

``Legalising sounds like justifying, penalising is absurd. I think we
have to find a line somewhere between the two,'' he said in April.

This month, Environment Minister Dominique Voynet set off a storm of
protests from opposition parties when she said she favoured leglisation
of marijuana and had smoked it herself.

And Guigou came under fire for appearing tolerant in a television
interview in which she said ``smoking a joint is no tragedy, but it can
develop into addiction if it becomes a regular habit.''

Conservative President Jacques Chirac has repeatedly taken a tough line
on drugs and accused the Netherlands of encouraging trafficking by
tolerating small amounts of soft drugs.

Chirac has insisted that France needs to keep border checks along its
northeastern frontiers to discourage trafficking to and from the
Netherlands effectively blocking the full implementation of a
European Union openborders pact because of Dutch policy.

Guigou said France would not treat all drug offenders the same wat.
``We're not goint to treat a trafficker and an addict in the same way,
especially not for a first offence,'' she said.

``Above all, it's a question of public health. And it's there that we
need to make progress. For prevention to work, we have to tell children
that any form of addiction is a deprivation of freedom.''

In nearby Britain, a major newspaper on Sunday started a campaign for
decriminalisation of cannabis, which includes marijuana, but medical
experts were divided about the proposal.