BLAINE TEENS JAILED UNDER TOUGH U.S. BORDER POLICY

Lure Of Easy Money Smuggling B.C. Bud Gives High-School Kids A Prison Record

BLAINE, Wash. -- The voice on the end of the phone is hesitant. As the
speaker confirms his name, he adds the word "unfortunately." Unfortunate to
be a kid who should have known better.

This is one of five Blaine teenagers arrested last week for the simple
crime of carrying a hockey bag across a border at midnight. A hockey bag
full of marijuana. The incident has a lot of people in the area thinking,
he says. And it has him very worried.

"I would say definitely to anybody who is thinking of doing it -- don't do
it. It's not a good thing," sighs the 18-year-old, who -- following his
lawyer's advice -- spoke on the condition of anonymity. "The impact is
pretty great. Kids get into things that they don't really realize what it's
all about. They're in their own little land -- and then reality hits, and
they can't deal with it."

Reality, say young people in this quiet, clean little town, is that B.C.
bud is as commonplace in Blaine as are British Columbians themselves. A
steady flow of both legal and illegal traffic moves back and forth across
the line. And naturally, some attitudes towards pot on both sides of the
border are similar.

But the differences stop when it comes to law enforcement.

Most Canadian cops may turn a blind eye to the odd joint, but even the
smallest offence involving drugs is a big deal in the United States.
Trafficking brings major penalties and the promise of prison time.

B.C.'s 20,000 estimated grow-operations already account for an annual pot
trade estimated at $6 billion. But a spate of recent arrests has law
officials here worried that traffickers are recruiting youth as more than
just potential customers.

In the past two weeks, Border Patrol agents have made three busts involving
groups of teens.

"Down here, it can effectively destroy you," says Blaine Police Deputy
Chief Mike Haslip. "You're starting off life at age 18 with a felony
conviction. The possibility of doing an extended multi-year conviction in a
federal prison is not a way to start your life. And we've had it happen."

The teen who spoke to The Province was caught in a seizure which netted 18
kilograms of marijuana and two impounded vehicles. Three of the teens were
recruited to watch while two others retrieved bags dropped near a trail on
the Canadian side of the border.

The accused is currently awaiting trial in Whatcom County on charges of
drug smuggling and conspiracy. Even the few days he spent in jail awaiting
bail were an ordeal.

"It's really given me a different perspective on life," he says. "Seeing
all the things you've taken for granted makes you see things differently."

Last week, police and school officials met to discuss the problem. Two of
those arrested were students at Blaine High School. Haslip says an assembly
will be held soon to talk to kids about drugs, trafficking and the
potential cost of what may seem to be easy money.

George Dickson and his friends say it's a lesson that many young people
here have already learned. But the 22-year-old believes that lots of kids
are still willing to take the risks.

"There's a lot of traffic, a lot of drug use in Blaine. They think it's
easy to get across because it's so close to the border. They figure they
can get away with it easier," says Dickson. "It'll ruin these kids' lives
forever. This'll stick with them forever."

Lance Midkiff says everybody around here has heard about B.C. bud and lots
of teens have smoked it. And since Blaine is a border town, many young
people have friends in both Canada and the United States. Somewhere,
someone is always recruiting.

"I think that kids think they're invincible," says the 25-year-old. "I
think they see how much money they can make off it. You think the laws
don't apply because you think you're invincible."

A felony conviction in the U.S. results in the loss of civil rights. An
ex-convict can't vote, can't possess weapons, can't join the military and
can't apply for student loans. About the only right they do have is to be
discriminated against by landlords or employers.

Keith Miller, assistant chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol, says
the increased security following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has
resulted in an increased concentration of technology and vigilance along
the borders.

"What used to be a game of jumping the ditch and evading a lone local agent
is no longer the case," he says. "Your kids up there are going to get a
fine if they're caught with marijuana. Down here, they're going to prison."

Miller's instinct tells him that as the border tightens, seizures will
increase. Like Haslip, he's hoping the recent arrests will serve as a
strong deterrent to other kids thinking of getting involved.

To a Canadian, the talk sounds heavy-handed. Dickson and Midkiff say it
seems that way to Blaine youth as well. After all, they only live a few
minutes south of Lotusland. You can practically touch Surrey. But as Haslip
points put, those are American flags flying outside.

"It takes a village to raise a youth," he says. "Legislation expresses
morality of country and community. And our penalties are an expression of
our morality."