FEDERAL POT LAW DRAWS MOUNTIE SUPPORT

OTTAWA -- Canada's top cop is endorsing federal legislation expected as
early as tomorrow to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana for personal use.

RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli emphasized, however, that any
proposed legislation to ease the country's pot laws must be accompanied by
"a comprehensive national drug strategy."

"What we are talking about here is decriminalizing very small amounts if
that's what's in the legislation. We still believe we need the discretion
of police officers, in rare cases, to lay criminal charges against
possessors of very small amounts," Zaccardelli said in an interview on
CTV's Question Period. "But ... we believe that we don't want to make
criminals out of persons who have very small amounts of marijuana for their
own possession."

The federal government had originally planned to table the legislation in
the Commons earlier this month but put it on hold just hours after Justice
Minister Martin Cauchon met with his U.S. counterpart in Washington.

Border Delays

U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci warned earlier that much stricter American
drug laws could result in delays for Canadians crossing the border.

Zaccardelli acknowledged U.S. concerns and said he has had discussions with
American law enforcement officials.

"This is an issue with them. We have expressed our views to them. But, if
we have a comprehensive package, it will not harm the work that we do and
the relationship with the Americans, in my view."

Zaccardelli, meanwhile, denied allegations by opposition MPs of political
interference into Mountie investigations, notably an eight-year probe into
former prime minister Brian Mulroney's link to the Airbus purchase. The
case was closed last month.

"We do an independent investigation. That's what we did in this particular
case. We didn't treat it any differently than any other case ...," he said.