PROPOSAL WOULD EASE LAWS ON MARIJUANA IN ENGLAND

LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair's government moved Wednesday to relax
its laws on marijuana, stopping short of legalization but guaranteeing that
most users would get off with just a warning while police focus their
enforcement efforts on harder drugs.

Under the proposal, marijuana would be downgraded from a Class B to a Class
C drug, making its use and possession less-serious crimes, said Home
Secretary David Blunkett. Police would retain the authority to arrest those
caught with marijuana, but in most cases would simply confiscate the drug
and issue a warning.

"The message to young people and families must be open, honest and
believable," Blunkett said. "Cannabis is a potentially harmful drug and
should remain illegal. However, it is not comparable with crack, heroin and
Ecstasy."

The proposed downgrade would put marijuana on a par with anabolic steroids
instead of amphetamines and barbiturates, the drugs it is grouped with now.
Blair's Labor Party has a large majority in Parliament, and the proposal is
virtually certain to pass.