U.N. WANTS AN END TO LENIENT POLICIES ON DRUGS

VIENNA, April 15 (Reuters) -The head of a U.N. conference on narcotics
called on countries on Tuesday to abandon lenient and inconsistent policies
towards cannabis and other drugs and instead start vigorously implementing
international drug-control treaties.

Patricia Olamendi, global affairs undersecretary at Mexico's Foreign
Ministry and chairwoman of the U.N. conference, told reporters such
inconsistency was undermining the fight against the trafficking and use of
narcotics.

The United Nations has already criticised Britain for downgrading cannabis
to a low-risk, category C drug. While possession of small amounts of
cannabis in Britain is now only a minor offence, in places like the United
States it can be a very serious crime.

"They can't expect us in our countries to put a halt to drug crop
cultivation while they keep those policies," said Olamendi, whose country is
one of the main cannabis producers and accounts for most of North America's
annual seizures of the herb.

Olamendi said is was very likely the 46th session of the U.N. Commission on
Narcotic Drugs, underway at the U.N. office in Vienna, would end on Thursday
with an appeal for certain countries to cease being permissive.

"We will leave with an appeal to countries that are being permissive or
lenient...not to allow such policies," she said.

She also said that some countries were not effectively applying
international drug control treaties and she said the conference would demand
an end to this.

"There has to be implementation of international agreements and these
resolutions have to be followed up," Olamendi said.