TEENAGER SENTENCED TO LECTURE ON DRUGS

Dealer, 17, To Write Essay, Speak On Perils Of Ecstasy

A Winnipeg judge took a teen drug pusher to school yesterday, imposing a
unique sentence that requires the boy to write an essay on the evils of
drugs and hit the public speaking circuit.

The 17-year-old, who was arrested last winter during an undercover drug
sweep at Kelvin High School, pleaded guilty to peddling ecstasy and was
placed on two years' probation with several conditions.

Provincial court Judge Cathy Everett suggested his old stomping grounds --
the school he remains suspended from -- might be a wise first choice for
his court-ordered public speaking campaign.

"Perhaps Kelvin might be one of the schools that needs this," she said.

Under terms of his probation, the teen must write a minimum 20-page essay
by Aug. 15 on the use and risks associated with ecstasy, an increasingly
popular drug among Canadian youth.

"This essay is not to be downloaded off the Internet. You will read the
exhibits given to you (from Crown experts on the drug), you will do
research and you will write the essay," said Everett. The teen's probation
officer must approve the content of the essay, which will be the basis for
his public speaking, she said.

Between September and next June, the boy must do at least eight high school
presentations on ecstasy across Manitoba.

He must contact school principals, explain his situation and ask to speak
to an assembly of students, then rely on his essay during his presentation.

Everett admitted that not all schools will be interested in hearing from
the teen, but said it's his "job" to find eight which are.

Everett also ordered the teen 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 will only be 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 next year, and to comply with his court conditions. "I
think my message is clear. You have an opportunity to show you are a good
kid who made a stupid mistake. You can become a good example," said Everett.

Five of the seven young people arrested during the Kelvin sweep have
pleaded guilty to their charges, while the other two remain before the courts.

The Crown was pushing for a jail sentence for this teen, saying the fact he
was selling ecstasy made his case more serious than teens caught selling
marijuana.

The boy's lawyer pleaded for leniency, noting he had no prior record and is
remorseful.

Everett said yesterday 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.

"In the event of any breaches, I'm telling the Crown to bring this back to
me so fast your head will spin," said Everett. "You are getting a major
break -- don't blow it."