MORALITY SQUAD SHOULD LAY OFF

Kieran King didn't even make it to his 16th birthday before being
metaphorically shot down by the morality squad.

King, a Grade 10 student at Saskatchewan's Wawota Parkland School,
was handed a three-day suspension for protesting the school's
reaction to his views on marijuana.

In the Regina Leader-Post on June 12, King is quoted as saying, "In
my opinion, cannabis is safer than they say, it is not worse than
alcohol or tobacco."

The teen said he formed his views after doing his own research into
the drug, sparked by curiosity.

After he shared his newly discovered information with friends, King's
principal threatened police action. For King, who adamantly states he
has never even seen marijuana, let alone smoked it, the police threat
was a stark violation of his right to free speech.

And instead of sulking about it, King took action by staging a
walkout at the school. Though there was minimal participation in the
walkout, both King and his brother were handed three-day suspensions,
which prevented them from taking final exams. Thankfully, King's
honour-roll status will allow him to pass Grade 10.

King told the Leader-Post that, "The main purpose wasn't cannabis. It
was the defence of the freedom of speech. I believe we have a right
to freedom of expression. I don't believe in vulgarity."

Good God. If that doesn't inspire confidence in the youth of today,
what will? I just think it's pitiful that officials are choosing this
particular issue to unleash their power. What about in-school
bullying? What about mental-health issues in students? What about
stress? If school officials have fire to burn, why don't they put it
toward something that desperately needs attention?

Statistics Canada tells us that 39 per cent of students in a recent
study reported feeling pressure to accomplish more than they could
handle. The Canadian Children's Rights Council tells us that in a
survey of 15,000 B.C. high school students, 34 per cent knew of
someone who had attempted or died by suicide, 16 per cent had
seriously considered suicide, 14 per cent had made a suicide plan,
seven per cent had made an attempt and two per cent had required
medical attention due to an attempt.

So this is the problem in a nutshell: Our youth is in crisis. Write
that down. In crisis. We have youth who accomplish amazing things and
bring new perspectives to the table. We also have youth who are
stressed to the breaking point, youth who are distraught, and youth
with nowhere to turn. And at least at one high school, negative
energy is being liberally peppered at one young man who just wanted
to voice an informed opinion.

This is the part where I feel like getting on my desk and yelling,
"Get your head out of your own butt, Wawota Parkland! Expend your
energy on an issue that might make an actual difference in the
well-being of students instead of spewing your power-hungry nonsense all over!"

As King says, the issue doesn't even belong to cannabis anymore.
Those in favour of marijuana, against it and everything in between,
can surely relate to being unfairly silenced. Particularly in the
adolescent years, opinions can be trashed faster than a Snickers wrapper.

This is why, from two provinces over, I give a silent vote of thanks
to Kieran King. Though he risked both academic status and a legal
charge, this is one teen who dared to stand up for his beliefs and
his freedom of his expression in a composed and non-violent manner.

Lana Hall is a graduate of the School District 63 Individual Learning Centre.