U.S. WARNS OF CRACKDOWN

TORONTO - U.S. officials caution they may be forced to drastically
slow trade across the northern border if the Canadian government
relaxes its marijuana laws.

The changes being considered by Prime Minister Jean Chretien's
government would make the penalty for getting caught with a joint
similar to a traffic ticket.

By contrast, the policy of the United States makes possession of even
small amounts illegal.

U.S. drug policy experts say decriminalizing marijuana in Canada will
increase drug use in America and trafficking on both sides of the
border. Washington would respond with tighter border checks that could
hinder trade crucial to the Canadian economy.

"We intend to protect our citizens. We would have no choice," said
John Walters, of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Canada already has a legal industry for hemp, cannabis cultivated with
very low amounts of the chemical that produces the high sought by
marijuana smokers. The U.S. government prohibits hemp production.

Last year, Canada implemented a medical marijuana program that allows
some patients to possess and grow pot. The Canadian Supreme Court will
hear a constitutional challenge to marijuana laws this fall, and a
senate committee has called for the complete legalization of pot - a
much more radical step than decriminalization.

Decriminalization north of the border will create new headaches for
the United States, said Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., chairman of the
Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and
Human Resources.

"We're still finding it hard to believe this could actually happen,"
he said but added that if it does, tougher border security would follow.