JUSTICE MINISTER STIRS POT DEBATE

OTTAWA (CP) -- Decriminalizing marijuana might be a "first step" in
reforming drug laws which seem out of date, Justice Minister Martin Cauchon
said yesterday.

The marijuana law needs to be changed, he said, and decriminalization is a
logical option.

"To keep it the way it is now doesn't make any sense to me in the year
2002," Cauchon said outside a cabinet meeting. "The legislation in place is
sort of disconnected with Canadian reality."

Prime Minister Jean Chretien, asked yesterday for his position, said he's
not getting into the marijuana debate because it's "not my generation."

Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper told reporters he'd rather see his
kids drink booze than smoke pot.