POT LUCK FOR INDIA TOO?

When David Beckham and his mates played against France on Sunday, many
were braced for a less-than-flattering image of British culture. More
than 50,000 fans have followed Team England to Euro 2004 in Portugal,
preceded by a reputation of 'hooliganism'.

Portuguese police have prepared for the worst, and allowed allowed
fans to smoke dope in the hope it will calm them down, maybe even put
them to sleep. Wander down the Rua Augusta, a thoroughfare of cafes,
boutiques and banks in Lisbon, and it's impossible to avoid an offer.
A young man, usually with a moustache, flashes a sachet, and
accompanies it with a nod and a wink.

But far more representative of British ways is a less menacing blend of
rowdiness and alcohol, which Britons place under the general category of
'yobs'
- --a word derived from the backward spelling of boy. In British parlance,
hooligans are also yobs, but not all yobs are hooligans. Not surprisingly,
cops
in Lisbon plan to crack down on drunk fans while turning a blind eye to
those
spotted puffing on a spliff. Pot-smoking fans have been assured they will
not
be arrested, cautioned or even have their drugs confiscated. Says Alan
Buffry
of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance: "If people are drinking, they lose
control;
if they smoke cannabis, they don't."