AUTHORITIES HANDLING POT USE AT HERMAN

Re: Children Shouldn't Be Exposed To Marijuana.

I am responding to K. Basden's entry in the Nov. 1 paper. I am a
student in Grade 10 at Herman Secondary School. I can understand what
he/she is saying about their young children wanting to play outside
and not being able to.

I can also understand why neighbours would be angry and upset, but
they don't have the right to label all of the Herman students as part
of the problem.

There are many kids who attend Herman who do not spend their spare
time smoking weed or getting high. Many of them are eating in the
school with their friends and classmates, or with teachers getting
extra help, or catching up on missed work.

Also, another problem in this letter is the fact that neighbours
apparently think that the school and the police don't care and aren't
doing anything about this problem. There have been numerous drug busts
at the nearby church and alleyways.

Many of the students at Herman have also been suspended for long
periods of time, a minimum of 20 days, due to being high at school or
being caught with marijuana on their person.

If they have such a huge opinion with this issue at Herman Secondary
School, why don't they take five minutes out of their time and go
outside and talk to the students doing this, and explain to them how
they feel about this situation?

We may be young but we are people, too. We do understand people
talking to us.

Why not treat us like the intelligent young people that we are,
instead of like little kids?

C. Reder

Windsor