UWO DRUG DEALERS

The Gazette Talks To Campus Drug Dealers About What They're Moving
And How Much Money They're Raking In

Jim* is a fourth-year engineering student at Western who has sold
drugs for the past four years. He makes approximately $50,000 per
year, with about 40 per cent of his revenue coming from marijuana
sales and the remaining 60 per cent coming from drugs like cocaine
and ecstasy.

Roughly one per cent of Canadians use cannabis daily, approximately
three per cent use it weekly and almost four per cent smoke once or
more weekly.

In 2002, roughly three million Canadians aged 15 or older admitted
to using cannabis at least once in the last year.

Jim sells around 32 pounds of marijuana a month, retailing between
$1,800 to $2,500, depending on fluctuations in supply and demand.

Jim doesn't feel bad about selling to people dependent on drugs.

"As long as the world continues to sell dreams and hopes to people
and as long as those dreams will never be realized, people will use
drugs," Jim says.

Despite its illegal status, an estimated 30 per cent of Canadians
have used marijuana at least once. The growing number of marijuana
users has spawned a large underground market.

Jim says his business is lucrative because the trade's high-risk
nature reduces competition.

Since decriminalization would let the government regulate marijuana
sales and provide it revenue, Jim believes decriminalization would
hurt his profits.

Dr. Evelyn Vingilis, a professor in the Department of Family
Medicine at Western, said it's an interesting coincidence marijuana
consumption has increased since the government started considering
decriminalization.

In recent decades, many people have spoken in favour of
decriminalization, which is the reduction or removal of marijuana's
criminal status while retaining other forms of non-criminal regulation.

However, Jim is confident decriminalization will never happen.

"By keeping drugs illegal, law enforcement agents are investing in
themselves and their own growth," Jim says. "If everything is legal
you wouldn't need half the number of police out there.

"The amount of money spent on drug investigation is highly misallocated."

Dominic Cramer, president of the Toronto Hemp Company, agrees. He
believes prohibiting marijuana causes far more problems and harm
than marijuana use ever could.

Cramer feels decriminalization would give state officials more
control over a market they currently have no control over, making it
easier for them to keep marijuana away from children and prevent
people from driving under the influence.

"[These are] things that we should really be caring about," Cramer says.

Constable Dan O'Reilly of the London Police Service disagrees. He
believes the level of police work needed in marijuana investigations
wouldn't decrease if it was decriminalized or legalized.

"Marijuana isn't the issue that we, as police, face," O'Reilly says.

Theft, robbery and other crimes are the bigger problems, as people
tend to commit them to support their addictions, he adds.

Marijuana consumption is probably the drug being consumed the most
in London, Constable O'Reilly says, but he adds cocaine and
crack-cocaine use is increasing.

But what about drugs that help you study?

Bob*, a fourth-year psychology student, also deals drugs on campus.
He sells Dexadrine (DEX) and Ritalin, drugs commonly used by people
who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

He says the main difference between the two is that Ritalin's
effects last six hours while DEX's can last for up to 12 hours.

He buys DEX pills for around $3 each and sells them for $10 or $15
- -- sometimes even $20 per pill during exams.

He says DEX helps him retain everything he studies and using it has
improved his grades significantly.

Bob describes using DEX as being "in a tunnel and nothing else matters."

"I did not move; I sat there for four hours and actually enjoyed
doing work," he adds.

Although the drug is only obtainable by prescription, Bob buys his
supply while on vacation in countries where he can get these drugs
illegally without prescription.

He's also supplied by people who have prescriptions. He says some
people will trade their DEX for other drugs like marijuana.

Bob says the drug is in high demand because it's so effective.

"One guy always wants all the DEX and doesn't want anyone else to
have it and get an advantage over him," Bob says.

Taking one DEX isn't detrimental, says Dr. Michael Reider, head of
the clinic of pharmacology at Western's children's hospital.

However, Reider says there are risks associated with taking large
amounts, which students using it for an academic advantage likely
do. He says it fuels metabolic engines and increases one's heart
rate, adding constant use can have damaging long-term effects on the heart.

Also, statistics show mental health problems often co-exist with
substance dependence. The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
found 15 per cent of alcohol-dependent people had suffered from
depression recently. For people dependent on illicit drugs, the
prevalence of depression was 26 per cent.

According to the CCHS, the exact relationship between substance
abuse and mental illness is unclear. The study said mental disorders
may promote or sustain substance dependence and substance use may
exacerbate mental disorders.

Betty* is a third-year business and management studies student who
smokes roughly five grams of marijuana every day.

Betty says she smokes "because it gets me high and relaxes me."

"[Marijuana is] kind of like my Prozac," she says. "When I'm not
high, I'm high-strung and bitchy."

Betty admits she relies on the drug to keep her happy, but she
firmly believes that's "all that matters."

*For legal reasons, some names have been changed.