JUDGE PASSES KELVIN STUDENT'S DRUG ESSAY REWRITE

A Winnipeg high school student was given a passing grade yesterday for his
second effort at a controversial court-ordered essay into the evils of drugs.

But the 18-year-old's first paper -- which he turned into a how-to guide
filled with advice for young users -- means he will not be allowed on a
speaking tour of local schools.

Provincial court Judge Cathy Everett said the teen is hardly an ambassador
for the anti-drug crusade and should not be given a forum to spread his
opinion. Instead, she substituted 32 hours of community service work in
place of the eight school sessions he was required to do.

Everett reviewed his revamped essay yesterday, and said it's a much
improved effort from the one he turned in last December. She had ordered
him to rewrite the paper or face further legal sanctions.

"The offending passages have been removed, and he has removed some of the
misleading and erroneous information the essay contained. By doing that,
he's changed the tone and thrust of the essay," said Everett.

Everett also applauded the teen for including more information and
statistics on deaths and injuries caused by ecstasy and other drugs. Crown
attorney Joan Schmidt said it's important the right message gets out to
society -- especially in wake of the suspected ecstasy-related death this
past weekend of a young woman in Boissevain.

"We do not want the incorrect message to get spread," she said.

The teen was arrested last winter during a highly publicized undercover
drug sweep at Kelvin High School.

Everett was applauded by legal observers when she imposed the unique
sentence last summer. She placed the teen on two years probation with
several conditions after he pleaded guilty to peddling ecstasy at his school.

He was 17 at the time and can't be named under the Young Offender's Act.

His original 24-page essay included steps on how to prevent medical
problems while taking ecstasy, tips for teens about limiting their drug
intake for best results, and even a plan about how to use drugs safely.
Asked about the first essay, the teen claimed he was simply giving the
"complete truth" about ecstasy, which he notes is "the drug of choice for
today's youth."

The teen's mother complained in December about the court-ordered
assignment, saying it was an example of political correctness gone mad.

She was angry he was being made a "poster-child" for drug awareness, and
now being punished for simply speaking his mind on the issue.

"He believes in telling the truth, and that's what he's done here.
Unfortunately he's still young, so he doesn't know how to kiss ass yet and
just say the right thing," she told the Free Press at the time.