STUDENTS TAKE STAND ON DRUG

Outlawed Or Not, Kids Will Toke

Regardless of the legal status of marijuana, kids will continue to smoke
it, say some students in the St. James-Assiniboia School Division.

"Most of the kids already have their own opinions on it. No one's really
neutral," said Matthew Jones, 16, a student at St. James Collegiate. "Most
people who want to will still smoke it."

But Jones acknowledged some students could get the wrong impression if pot
is decriminalized.

"Some kids will get the idea that it's OK to smoke it in school ... if it
is decriminalized, but it really doesn't matter either way. Most kids have
their own opinions already."

Rebecca Schultz, 16, a student at the same school, said decriminalizing
marijuana might take away the drug's mystique.

"If they do (legalize pot), it won't be as big a deal because it will no
longer be illegal. It's like smoking, it's not a big thing because it's not
illegal," she said.

PICK UP A JOINT

Other students said more kids might pick up a joint if the trustees aren't
successful in their campaign against pot decriminalization.

"More people might do it because they're allowed to do it, because they
think they won't get busted," said Jason Nucom, 14, also a student at St.
James Collegiate.