TEEN TO LECTURE ON ECSTASY PERIL

Sentence For Drug Trafficking

A teenager who sold ecstasy to an undercover police officer at Kelvin High
School will make presentations to other students about the dangers of the
illicit street drug.

Yesterday, the 17-year-old, who can't be named under the Young Offenders
Act, was sentenced to two years' supervised probation. He pleaded guilty
last month to two counts of trafficking methylene dioxyamphetamine, more
commonly known as ecstasy.

STING OPERATION

The teenager was one of seven charged with drug offences after a female
undercover police officer purchased a variety of narcotics from Kelvin
students during a sting operation at the school in November 2001.

As part of his probation, provincial court Judge Cathy Everett ordered the
teen to write an essay, minimum 20 pages in length, dealing with the risks
and dangers of using the drug.

"This essay is not to be downloaded from the Internet," she warned. "You
will do research and you will write this essay."

Everett said the youth will then use the essay's contents as the foundation
for a presentation -- which he will deliver to at least eight Manitoba
schools during the 2002-2003 term.

"You'll talk like a 17-year-old ... and other students may listen to you,
where they might not listen to an adult," she told the teen. "You are a
smart boy who got yourself into some trouble. You can turn yourself around
- -- you can become a very good example."

Everett also ordered the youth to complete 150 hours of community service
and imposed an absolute curfew, except for when he's with his mother or
another approved adult. He can also leave the house for work, counselling
or his school presentations.

The judge banned the teen from going within 200 metres of Kelvin High
School -- unless officials allow him to talk to students about the dangers
of ecstasy.

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

Kelvin's principal, Glen Eliasson, said he'd consider having the former
student deliver his speech if it had sufficient merit.

"I think students talking to students is a wonderful idea."