SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

Teenagers are good at seeing through lies and half-truths. That's why
baseless propaganda, like the old movie Reefer Madness, doesn't work.
Why would anyone take advice from someone who doesn't know what drugs
actually do?

The adults of Wawota Parkland School in Saskatchewan are acting like
insecure children, because they feel threatened by the actions of one
bright, principled, inquisitive teenager.

This year, the school gave a presentation to students about the
dangers of drugs. Kieran King, 15, didn't react as the teachers
expected. He started questioning, out loud, whether cannabis is
really more dangerous than legal drugs such as alcohol or tobacco.

Kieran doesn't do drugs. He thinks drinking and smoking are stupid
and dangerous. He's not encouraging substance abuse: He's standing up
for the facts and expressing opinions.

The school wouldn't allow students to join a protest about the issue
outside. Kieran and his brother went; the school suspended them,
preventing Kieran from writing his final exams.

According to the Saskatchewan Marijuana Party, the school even
threatened Kieran with legal action.

Instead of smearing a young man's reputation, the school and school
board should be lauding his spirit and diligence. Education is
supposed to nurture independent thought and the love of truth.

Adults will have more luck convincing teenagers of the very real
dangers of many drugs if they come clean about the statistics and
admit there are contradictions in law and social attitudes.

The "trust us, we know better" approach doesn't turn teenagers into
good citizens; it makes them bitter, angry and rebellious.

- - This editorial was originally published in the Ottawa Citizen.