BARRING REBAGLIATI FLIES IN FACE OF JUSTICE

It's well known that Ross Rebagliati has smoked marijuana. The whole
world knew it shortly after that fateful day in 1998 when, after
winning the first-ever Olympic gold medal in snowboarding, he tested
positive for traces of cannabis in his system, and subsequently
admitted that he had used the stuff. At the time, he said the
detection of the substance was likely the result of second-hand smoke
he inhaled at a pre-Olympic party.

Well, it seems Mr. Rebagliati's past just won't go away. Last week,
while boarding a plane headed to Las Vegas for a show to promote his
artwork (partly to support the Canadian snowboarding team), he was
denied entry to the United States - not because he had been convicted
of any drug-related crimes (he hadn't), but because, as a result of
admitting that he had used marijuana in the past, U.S. officials had
tagged him as someone to watch out for.

Later, Rebagliati learned that he would be admitted to the U.S. for
this month's Olympic Games in Salt Lake City if he showed up at the
border with a doctor's note declaring him drug-free. He opted not to
go, however, because he said he was concerned about the negative
publicity his presence might generate at the Olympics.

Whatever one thinks about the U.S. policy regarding the admission of
foreigners with recent drug-related convictions - frankly, we think
it's more than a little heavy-handed - the decision to arbitrarily bar
Rebagliati, or even to make him bring a note from his doctor, is
simply wrong. If he had been convicted of a drug-related offence, fine
- - if U.S. authorities and the American public want to impose that
restriction, it's their decision. But it seems to us that in this
instance, Mr. Rebagliati has been singled out because he's a public
figure. Had he never won an Olympic gold medal, and been the subject
of the ensuing controversy in Nagano, U.S. authorities would likely
have known nothing about his past marijuana use. And public figures,
in our view, should be treated the same as anyone else.

In our view , barring Mr. Rebagliati in this instance - without a
recent conviction of any sort - is both arbitrary and capricious,
flying in the face of what most North Americans would consider to be
any sense of fairplay or justice.

Since speaking with the Question, Rebagliati has learned he can go to
the Olympics in Salt Lake City next week, but only if he shows up at
the U.S. border with a doctor's note declaring him drug-free.

However, the snowboarder has opted not to go because, he said, he is
concerned about the negative publicity he will generate.