U.S. DRUG CZAR CLAIMS CANADA IS TOO LAX PROSECUTING DRUG CRIMES

SEATTLE (AP) - While police are aggressive about arresting people for drug
crimes north of the border, Canada's court system treats marijuana and
methamphetamine producers too leniently, the U.S. drug czar said Thursday.

"What Canadian officials tell us is that they have laws on the books that
could be used here, but that the Canadian system has developed the practice
of not sentencing people to anything approaching serious time unless they
commit a violent crime," John Walters, director of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy told The Associated Press. "So you can set up grows,
you can ship drugs, you can be caught, and very little happens to you."

Paul Kennedy, Canada's senior assistant deputy solicitor general, countered
that stiff sentences aren't the only way to crack down on illegal drug use.

"One factor is the severity of sentence, but it is not determinative by
itself, and not every case calls for a long sentence," Kennedy said in a
phone interview from Ottawa.

Convicted drug traffickers can be sentenced to life in prison, Kennedy
noted, adding that the Canadian government recently proposed doubling the
maximum sentence for cultivating 50 or more pot plants to 14 years.

Kennedy acknowledged the United States' gripes about pot smuggling from
British Columbia and other provinces, but he pointed out there's a lot more
marijuana coming into the United States from Mexico.

U.S. authorities seized 15,400 kilograms of pot along the northern border
from October 2002 through July of this year, compared to more than 544,300
kilograms along the southwestern border, according to the latest U.S.
Customs figures available.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Jean Chretien's government proposed a law
that would treat possession of small amounts of marijuana much like traffic
violations. U.S. officials have called the proposal a horrible idea, saying
it would lead to more drug smuggling along the 6,400-kilometre border.

Walters criticized Initiative 75, a measure on next Tuesday's ballot in
Seattle that would make marijuana possession the city's lowest
law-enforcement priority. He acknowledged that marijuana doesn't cause
health problems as severe as those caused by cocaine, heroin or
methamphetamine, but said that shouldn't make it less of a concern.

"What people do not understand today is that of the roughly seven million
people age 12 and above who need treatment in this country because of their
dependence or abuse of illegal drugs, 60 per cent are dependent on
marijuana," Walters said. "It is more a factor in producing treatment need
than any other illegal drug."

Seattle was Walters' sixth stop in a 25-city national tour promoting the
government's anti-drug campaign.

Much of the U.S. government's $11.5 billion US drug control budget is doled
out to cities and states for programs ranging from education to enforcement.

In his 2004 budget proposal, President George W. Bush pitched a new $200
million initiative that would give vouchers to people seeking drug
treatment at the centre of their choice, including religious programs. Some
civil libertarians and those who work in traditional treatment programs
have said they're concerned that religious groups could be eligible for
highly sought-after government dollars.

Walters touted the voucher idea as one of many ways the administration is
trying to get more people involved in the fight against drug addiction.

"We need more people to lean in and not look the other way," he said. "The
sooner we intervene, the sooner we create a collective responsibility that
says, 'We're not going to let you destroy yourself.' "

Walters said he knows what needs to be done to curb drug use, and he's
going to make it happen.

"We're not going to say that we've tried to just give money and good
speeches about this," he said. "We know how to prevent drug use. We know
the importance of preventing drug use. We know that if you do not begin
using illegal drugs, alcohol and cigarettes when you're a teenager, the
number who go on to use is extremely small, and the number who of those
that go on to use and have a problem is even smaller."

He said winning the war on drugs will require better co-ordination of
prevention, law enforcement, treatment and other services for addicts.

"They're treating people, they're trying to get people into recovery, but
they're not as tied to people that are going to help provide housing and
jobs and education to make sure the recovery has the best prospect of
succeeding," Walters said. "What we're trying to do is not just run good
individual programs at the federal level. We're trying to make sure those
programs are making a difference."

Also on Thursday, Walters toured the U.S. Coast Guard's vessel traffic
system for Puget Sound, where he spoke about the link between anti-drug and
counterterrorism efforts.