SENATE PANEL RECOMMENDS LEGALIZING USE OF MARIJUANA

OTTAWA, CANADA -- A panel set up by Canada's Senate recommended Wednesday
that the government legalize the use of marijuana, saying it should be sold
on a regulated basis like alcohol.

The report by the Senate--the unelected upper house of Parliament-- adds to
a growing debate in Canada over what to do about the widespread use of
marijuana and the attraction the illegal drug holds for organized crime.
The report is also likely to trigger alarm in the United States.

Canadian Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said in July that he was
considering whether to decriminalize marijuana, but the Senate's special
committee on illegal drugs urged him to go much further.

"Essentially the committee recommends from now on that marijuana be
legalized and available for restricted use, so Canadians can choose whether
to consume it or not," said committee chairman Sen. Pierre Claude Nolin.