TEENAGERS ARE COGS IN WHEEL OF DRUG TRADE

When I first heard that the two people arrested at Pearson International
Airport for attempting to smuggle in 34,000 ecstasy pills were 16 and 17, I
was surprised.

After wondering how they strapped all those pills to their legs, I read
that they arrived on a flight from Paris. What connections - not to mention
cash - they must have. Did they organize by e-mail? Where did they get the
money to buy that quantity? Why import when you can make this stuff in your
kitchen?

What unusual teenagers.

Or are they?

RCMP Constable John Rae says the new crop of dealers are "all the
boy-next-door, girl-next-door, young and good-looking (type). They're
average kids who go to school and live at home."

Even so, these kids are not seasoned criminals, Toronto police officers
say. And it's not like they control the industry - adults do.

I am in a friend's car in the parking lot of an upscale gourmet food store.
We are waiting for Daniel. During the short wait, John, an executive in the
not-for-profit sector tells me, "He can get anything. I've asked him to get
me some hash. I usually buy ecstasy from him."

A white kid with a backpack gets in the car. He reminds me of the boy in
the film American Beauty. Handsome, clean cut, a drug dealer. Daniel looks
as though he's about 17.

While the police may be surprised at the younger faces who are dealing, it
shouldn't be any surprise that many of them live in neighbourhoods like
Forest Hill and not just Regent Park.

Pleasure has always been the goal. It pretty well defines what it means to
be a teenager and that transcends all socio-economic groups. Kids aren't
blind to the economics of it either.

It seems that today more than at any previous time drugs are widely
available to kids. Many Grade 7 students can tell you who to buy pot from
and where people smoke it without censure on school grounds.

Gill, a Brampton high school student, says the dealers in school are, "not
anyone that you don't know and it's often the people you least expect."

Another telling sign of its widespread penetration comes from advertisers.
When the co-opter's of street culture incorporate drug images in their ads,
it's because they are sure it will appeal and be recognized.

An HMV ad in store windows after Christmas featured a large black and white
photo of a guy's mouth with his tongue outstretched and a neon pink tablet
on it.

An HMV store clerk tells me that "it's supposed to be an Aspirin for relief
from holiday shopping, but I guess it can be whatever you think it is."

Lorie Slater, general manager of the HMV superstore says, "It's an antacid."

Could the fact that it is almost an exact copy of the cover of Irving
Welsh's book E, about ecstasy, have escaped them?

Given that medical and non-medical use of barbiturates has almost doubled
among Ontario students in Grades 7, 9, 11, and 13 between 1997 and 1999,
they may be further ahead by saying that it is ecstasy, especially since
ecstasy usage among the same group has not risen as dramatically.

Or, perhaps you've noticed the ad for Gucci perfume called Rush. The
model's eyes are closed, her hair is dishevelled as though she is dancing,
her head is tilted back ever so slightly and her lips are parted. Is she in
the throes of an ecstasy rush?.

Linda Vanasse, Gucci's marketing director for perfumes, says art director
Tom Ford "picked the word rush because he likes the feeling and the meaning
of this word. When you have a rush, your body is totally out of control."

The three key words associated with the marketing of Rush are "adrenalin,
ecstasy and euphoria," Vanasse adds.

While some young people see nothing wrong with the Gucci and HMV ads,
others like Gill, expect more.

"HMV is in a position to reveal some of what is true about drugs. To
actually demystify some of the things we are told about it, but they don't.
They just capitalize," she says.

Isn't it society's job to reveal what is true about drugs?

It should be, but drug education in schools is mostly fear-based.

It's kind of like sex-ed, says Gill. "They (parents, teachers) make it
sound like it's such a big deal. It's put on a pedestal and then you do it
and, it's completely different from everything you've been taught. It's the
same with drugs."

Drug education might better serve young people if it operated from the
premise that knowledge is power.

Looking at the reasons why young people have such easy access to drugs
might force us to see beyond the teen dealers to the major suppliers who
bring it into the country.

Until then, we can safely assume that more young people will be drawn to
this new version of the lemonade stand.

Reach Sharlene Azam by e-mail at sazam@thestar.ca.