LENIENT CANADIAN POT LAWS HAVE NEIGHBORS WORRIED

SWANTON -- Some of Nicole Cook's classmates attending school less than
10 miles from the Canadian border already head north to party on
weekends because it's legal for 18-year-olds to drink in Quebec.

And as the Canadian government debates whether to decriminalize the
possession of small amounts of marijuana, Cook worries such a move
would encourage more teens to head north.

"I think it's a massive danger because I've heard of so many people
and I know of so many people that have gone to Canada and done that
and come back and gotten in car accidents and stuff. I think it's
really stupid, you know," said Cook, 17, who is involved in drug
prevention efforts at Missisquoi Valley Union High School.

While marijuana possession would remain illegal under the proposed
Canadian legislation, those found with 15 grams (about a half ounce)
or less would receive a citation akin to a traffic ticket. Maximum
fines for that amount would range from roughly $182 for those under 18
to approximately $292 for adults.

The possession of similar amounts of marijuana in Vermont is a
misdemeanor punishable on a first offense by up to six months in jail,
a $500 fine or both.

The Canadian bill proposes spending millions of dollars on an
anti-marijuana campaign, but some in northern Vermont say the
situation could prove too tempting for American teens.

"We're trying to discourage drug use and trying to make people more
aware that it's not OK, and then Canada is just kind of like, it's a
slap on the hand and you move on," said Cook. "You get something like
a speeding ticket for it."

Crossing into Canada is common for those in the northern part of the
state, sometimes with tragic consequences. In 1998, four Vermont
teenagers were killed in a car accident after partying in Quebec.

Marijuana use in Vermont is higher than the national average,
according to Marcia LaPlante of the state Health Department. "I think
regardless of what happens in Canada, we know marijuana is an issue
here," she said.

Some teens believe a lesser penalty north of the border could have a
ripple effect among teens here who might become less worried about the
punishment of getting caught.

"The people who didn't use it before are going to be like, 'OK, I'm
not going to get in so much trouble if I do it now,'" said Brittanny
Barrows, 16, also a student at Missisquoi.

Dealing with the differences between Canadian and American laws is
nothing new in northern Vermont, said Beth Crane, co-coordinator of
Franklin County Caring Communities, a St. Albans-based drug prevention
coalition.

"It poses some challenges and yet maybe some opportunities for
education as well," she said.

One of those challenges would be reminding young adults about the
dangers of impaired driving, said Susan Lloyd, a student assistance
counselor at Missisquoi.

"Just because you're not going to get a criminal record, doesn't mean
that you can drive any better for getting home," she said. "So that's
a danger with marijuana just like it is with drinking."

Students involved in drug prevention efforts say they would continue
to stress those dangers. While the punishment in Canada may change,
Nathan Chates, 18, says the negative health effects of marijuana remain.

"I mean, if cigarettes for some reason suddenly dropped down to $1 a
pack, it doesn't mean they're any less harmful for you; it just means
they're cheaper," Chates said.

Questions remain about how stoned drivers could be detected when
returning to Vermont.

"If they go to Canada and drink heavily, they can still get in trouble
when they come across the border if they don't blow zero," said Lloyd.
"But if you go across the border and you get high, they don't have a
way of testing that, and so you can be more impaired and come in under
the radar."

Under the Canadian legislation, driving while impaired by drugs
remains a criminal offense; a working group there is currently looking
at the issue of detecting drivers suspected of drug use. Options under
consideration include asking suspects to perform physical tests or to
give urine samples.

Rama Schneider, a member of the Vermont Grassroots Party that favors
marijuana legalization, questions whether those American concerns
should even play a role in the Canadian policy debate.

"Canada is a sovereign nation, whether our federal government
appreciates that fact or not, and they're entitled to make that
decision," he said.

Dillon Walton, 18, worries his classmates could smoke up in Canada and
then try to drive home. But ultimately, he believes teens must make
personal choices about whether to use marijuana.

"You can pound it and pound it and pound it, but eventually it's just
going to be the individual's decision," he said.

Helping teens to make those kinds of choices will involve focusing on
a variety of issues that are important regardless of whether Canada
changes its law, Crane said.

"It's really key not only to focus on the consequences of using, but
the value of not using and seeking other ways to challenge boredom, to
challenge stress, to challenge all of those things that teens struggle
with in a rural community," she said.