KELVIN TEEN GETS 'F' FOR DRUG ESSAY

A Winnipeg high school student ordered by a judge to write an essay on
the evils of drugs -- then go on a public speaking tour -- has stunned
justice officials by turning it into a "how-to" guide filled with
advice for young users.

The 18-year-old, who was arrested last winter during a highly
publicized undercover drug sweep at Kelvin High School, submitted his
assignment in court this week.

His 24-page essay includes steps on how to prevent medical problems
while taking ecstasy, tips for teens about limiting their drug intake
for the best results, and even a plan about how to use drugs safely.

"The message of abstinence does not work and never will work for one
simple reason - curiosity. So much is left to the unknown that is
sparks this primal urge to know what is not known," he writes in the
essay, obtained by the Free Press.

"This is why the message of harm reduction is oh so very important. We
need to protect those who are curious."

The teen claims he is simply giving the "complete truth" about
ecstasy, which he notes is "the drug of choice for today's youth."
"The majority of today's populous know very little about it. That is
why I am writing this essay -- to inform," he writes.

"All I ask is that you keep an open mind while reading this paper. I
can say this because I intend to write no half truths and whole lies."

Judge Cathy Everett, who was applauded by legal observers when she
imposed the unique sentence last summer, didn't hide her horror at the
results.

She promptly gave the teen an "F" for his efforts.

"You have completely missed the boat. I don't know if this was
intentional or not, but you have written a pro-ecstasy guide," she
said during Tuesday's court sitting.

"I am not interested in your personal opinion of how people can do
ecstasy in a safe way." The boy's mother was in court this week, and
told Everett she had only read portions of his essay.

"I suggest you read all of it," the judge said tersely.

Everett placed the teen on two years' probation last summer with
several conditions after he pleaded guilty to peddling ecstasy at
Kelvin. He was 17 at the time and can't be named under the Young
Offender's Act.

He was ordered to complete the anti-ecstasy essay and go on a speaking
tour of at least eight Manitoba schools, using the essay as his guide,
by next June.

The essay, which is handwritten and contains numerous spelling errors,
begins innocently enough with a history of ecstasy, but quickly moves
into risk factors associated with the drug.

Although mentioning the many health problems associated with ecstasy,
he offers tips on how to prevent illness or death while using the drug.

He urges young users to drink plenty of fluids to avoid overheating,
which is common with ecstasy and can lead to organ failure or even
death.

The teen also advises users not to drink too much water, and suggests
they turn to sport drinks like Gatorade or Powerade to keep their
sodium levels up. Limit intake

He discounts the possibility of liver damage from ecstasy, saying "in
clinical trials with rats and dogs, there have been no connection to
prove... it alone causes liver damage."

He also brushes off other medical concerns, claiming they are "easily
avoidable" or treatable by "minor medical intervention."

The teen then summarizes his thoughts by urging youths to simply limit
their intake, rather than cutting out the drug altogether.

"When applied to drug use, this could save many lives. It may not be
the best idea to have the best time of your life all the time," he
writes.

He also suggests local raves and clubs begin doing "onsite pill
testing."

The process would involve having people come to the facility to take
samples of drugs teens are ingesting to mix them with a chemical agent
to ensure they're not more toxic replicas. "This, in my belief, is
probably one of the most effective harm reduction methods," writes the
teen, who also references a Web site in his essay of a U.S.-based pill
testing club.

"Unfortunately they don't have a local chapter," he
writes.

The teen claims much of his research came from the Internet, and a
European book called Ecstasy, the Complete Guide.

"It's back to the drawing board for you. Some of your information is
just factually inaccurate," said Everett.

"You will redo this, and you will do it properly. I want you, at the
end of this research, to understand why ecstasy is bad. I want you to
be an expert on the topic."

Everett suggested some local drug awareness groups to speak with,
along with the Winnipeg police vice division.

She has given the teen until the end of January to complete the
assignment, or face further legal sanctions.

His speaking tour is on hold while he continues his research. At this
teen's sentencing, the Crown pushed for a jail sentence, saying the
fact he was selling ecstasy made his case more serious than teens
caught selling marijuana in the school.

Everett said she strongly considered sending the teen to jail, but
decided a strict probation order with unique conditions would still
send a strong message and help rehabilitate the boy, and others like
him.

As part of his probation, the teen was also ordered to complete 150
hours of community service work, abstain from alcohol during the
two-year probation period, and follow a curfew during the first year.

He is only allowed to leave his home, where he lives with his mother,
to work at a local fast-food restaurant, complete his Grade 12 at a
different school this year, and to comply with his court conditions.

Five teens have pleaded guilty to drug trafficking at Kelvin. Two
others remain before the courts.

'All I ask is that you keep an open mind... '

Here are some unedited excerpts from a Winnipeg teen's court-assigned
essay on ecstasy:

"As we all know ecstasy is a rather contreversial subject, as majority
of today's populous know very little about it. That is why I am
writing this essay to inform. All I ask is that you keep an open mind
while reading this paper."

"The message of abstinance does not work and never will work for one
simple reason -- curiosity. So much is left to the unknown that is
sparks this primal urge to know what is not known. This is why the
message of harm reduction is oh so very important. We need to protect
those who are curious."

"Most ill effects caused by the drug ecstasy can be easily
avoided."

"Cerebral edema is a condition in which the cells within the brain
swell with water, which can inturn lead to death, obviously, yet it is
another wich is easily avoidable. This condition can be avoided by not
drinking more water than is lost through sweating and in the actual
case of hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels) all one has to do is
stop fluid consumption and have moderate supportive care."

"Confusion, difficulty walking, increased sweating, dihrrhea,
hightened deed tendon reflexes (mucel jerks), poor control of heart
rate and blood pressure, increase mucel tone, all of these symptoms
can lead to hyperthermia. Again this syndrome is easly recoverable it
only requires minor medical intervention."

"The last but possibly most contreversial method of harm reduction is
onsite pill testing. This testing is carried out by an international
group called dance safe (unfortunately we don't have a local chapter),
a non-profit harm reduction group. This group tests the pill in
question by taking a small scraping and adding a chemical agent which
turns color depending wether or not the pill contains mdma/mda. This
in my belife is probably one of the most effective harm reduction
method, as it helps let users know whether or not the pill is ecstasy
or another more harmfull drug such as pma or dxm."