LOOSEN POT LAWS AND FACE TIGHTER BORDER, U.S. WARNS

OTTAWA -- Looser marijuana laws in Canada will lead to even tighter
security at the border, U.S. officials warned yesterday.

Drug patrols soon could shift their attention north from the Mexican border
once the Liberal government decriminalizes pot possession, says a
spokesperson for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

U.S. President George W. Bush's anti-drug czar John Walters also took aim
at yesterday's Commons committee recommendation that possession of 30 grams
of pot should result in nothing more than a ticket and no criminal record.

Drug Enforcement Administration spokesperson Will Glaspy said the U.S.
still views pot as "an illegal, harmful and dangerous substance" and he
hopes Canadian authorities get the information they need to make a "good"
decision.

"What it would mean for the United States obviously would require us to put
more emphasis and place more security along our northern border," Glaspy said.

Canadian Justice Minister Martin Cauchon has already said he's ready to
roll on the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use by early next year.

Walters used a visit to Buffalo to sound off on the evils of marijuana, the
increasing $5-billion US cross-border flow of Canadian-grown high-potency
marijuana known as "B.C. Bud" and the dangers of easy marijuana laws.

"It makes security at the border tougher because this is a dangerous threat
to our young people, given what we see and it makes the problem of
controlling the border more difficult," Walters said after being asked
about the committee recommendation.

Walters said the U.S. recognizes Canada is "a sovereign country" but the
U.S. example shows pot use is addictive and expensive to society -- and
shouldn't be encouraged.

Cauchon rebuffed the U.S. views, insisting Ottawa is only talking about
decriminalizing "small quantities" -- not full legalization of pot, which
he agreed would be a cause for concern for the Americans.

"I will analyse the report and I will analyse the future positions of the
federal government on what is good for the entire Canadian society,"
Cauchon said, insisting Canada and the U.S. have "wonderful co-operation"
in the war on drugs and organized crime.

Other recommendations by the Commons committee include:

- - More money for the government's drug abuse prevention program for young
people.

- - A "renewed" national anti-drug strategy head by a commissioner with
regular reports to Parliament.

- - No amnesty for the 600,000 Canadians who have been convicted of pot
possession.

Canadian Alliance MP Kevin Sorenson agreed there could be trouble at the
border if pot is decriminalized as the committee recommended.

He also and argued the possession limit should be five grams.