Britain reclassifies marijuana; possesion may no longer mean arrest

LONDON, ENGLAND - Britain's marijuana laws should be relaxed to give police more time to battle harder drugs, the nation's top law enforcement official said yesterday.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said reclassifying marijuana, or cannabis, as a "Class C drug"- putting it in the same category as anabolic steroids - would not be the same as decriminalization or legalization. However, such a change means that those possessing marijuana would not be subject to arrest.

"Cannabis would remain a controlled drug and using it a criminal offense ... but it would make clearer the distinction between cannabis and Class A drugs like heroin and cocaine," Blunkett told a House of Commons committee meeting.

"It is time for an honest and common-sense approach focusing effectively on drugs that cause most harm," he added.

Blunkett's statement comes amid an intensifying political debate about marijuana. Senior figures from all three major political parties have now urged a review of cannabis laws.

Police say seven out of 10 drug arrests are for marijuana and that processing a marijuana-related arrest creates several hours of police paperwork and usually ends with a small fine.

Changing the marijuana laws would require approval by Parliament. The proposal will first be discussed with senior police officers and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, a Home Office spokesman said. A final decision is expected in the spring.

Marijuana is currently a Class B drug, and possession carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.

Simple possession of a Class C drug carries a maximum sentence of two years, and British law states that only offenses punishable with at least five years imprisonment are subject to arrest. In lesser offenses, a police officer can only issue a warning or a court summons.

Possession with intent to supply or supplying Class C drugs would still be an arrestable offense.

One south London borough is effectively implementing the home secretary's proposal. Since July, Lambeth police have been giving only a verbal warning to anyone caught with a small amount of marijuana.

Prosecutors say white Cincinnati police officer choked unarmed black man to death

CINCINATTI - Prosecutors told a jury yesterday that a white police officer was too aggressive while taking an unarmed black man into custody and caused his death with a chokehold.

But defense attorneys said Officer Robert Jorg didn't choke Roger Owensby Jr., who was stopped by police Nov. 7 for questioning about drug trafficking.

Both sides gave opening statements yesterday in Jorg's trial on charges of felony involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor assault, one month after a judge acquitted another officer on all charges in the shooting of another unarmed black man who was running from police.

Jorg, 30, is the first on-duty Cincinnati police officer ever charged with a felony offense in a killing.

"You will hear testimony that, for a few minutes, he went too far and crossed the line that officers are not allowed to cross," said assistant Hamilton County prosecutor Mark Piepmeier.

But Jorg's attorney, R. Scott Croswell, told jurors that his client did not mean to hurt Owensby, 29.

"(Jorg) secured Mr. Owensby's head for the purpose of protecting him from being hurt as he lay face-down on the pavement," he said. "At no time did my client choke Mr. Owensby."

As jury selection began Monday, about 75 demonstrators rallied against police brutality. The crowd chanted, "No justice, no peace, no racist police."

Owensby died after officers caught him, sprayed him with a chemical irritant, handcuffed him and put him in a police vehicle, investigators said.

FAA fines America West for maintenance violations

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $667,050 fine against America West Airlines for maintenance violations on planes making thousands of flights between 1997 and 2000.

America West says it has made sweeping reforms to its plane maintenance and will challenge the amount of the fines.

''Quite frankly, this is old news and we were very upfront that in the summer of 2000 we were not operating the airline we should have been,'' said America West spokesman Jim Sabourin. ''The events that are mentioned in the FAA announcement do not reflect the current state of affairs at America West.''

In one case, a plane with an improperly repaired fuel line made 1,847 flights with passengers aboard, the FAA said. Other planes that had not been upgraded to meet FAA standards also flew thousands of flights, according to the FAA.

The administration proposed a $350,000 fine against the Phoenix-based air carrier for those violations. It also proposed a $317,050 penalty for using the wrong sized bolts on the elevator systems - the small wings at the back of the plane that controls the angle at which the plane climbs or descends - in 13 aircraft.

The improperly maintained planes were used on more than 1,800 flights, including 1,605 flights that were made after America West was notified of the violation, the FAA said. The alleged violations occurred between May and June of 1999.

Sabourin said the company is not contesting that the violations occurred, and many of them were brought to the FAA's attention during the company's comprehensive Operational Improvement Plan.