BRITAIN TO RELAX LAWS REGARDING USE OF MARIJUANA

Instead Of Being Arrested And Facing Prison Time, Pot Smokers Will Be
Subject To Modest Fines

LONDON - In a major relaxation of drug laws, Prime Minister Tony Blair's
government announced Wednesday that marijuana laws would be eased so that
people who use small quantities of the drug will not face arrest.

The controversial reclassification of marijuana from a Class B to a Class C
drug will take effect next July, British Home Secretary David Blunkett said.

Blunkett said the new law stopped short of decriminalization of marijuana
but would allow police to focus on hard drug users and dealers.

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

Blunkett, who announced last year that he intended to make this change,
said marijuana should not be classified in the same way as drugs that kill.

In Britain, possession of a Class B drug carries a maximum penalty of five
years in jail.

Possession of a Class C drug carries a maximum sentence of two years, but
the Home Office said that penalty was rarely invoked for first-time
offenders, who normally receive only a ticket.

Instead of being arrested and possibly put in prison, marijuana users would
face modest fines or other penalties, officials said.

The change in emphasis puts Britain in the forefront of a European movement
toward easing penalties for marijuana use.

The British proposal to reduce penalties for marijuana has received strong
support from police chiefs and police associations.