Pubdate: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2002 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Author: Brian L. Fish Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction) YOUTH COURT JUDGE MISSED THE BOAT As a former teacher now a lawyer with extensive experience in the youth court and family area since 1981, I was astonished to read of the reaction of Winnipeg's youth court Judge Cathy Everett to the 18-year-old's high school student's 24-page essay on ecstasy and harm reduction. Perhaps as an English teacher, I may have docked the young man marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar, but as a social studies teacher, based on the extracts I saw in the news items, I would have certainly given him good marks for (a) research of the facts, (b) application of logic, (c) development of a position, (d) support of the position, (e) a rational conclusion. And as a lawyer I would applaud him for his courage and honesty in his attempt to debunk the myths and moral panics perpetuated by the drug war. I would suggest that if anybody "missed the boat" it was the learned judge. I have extensively researched ecstasy, through my own children, and from what I could see in the article every fact the young man gave was accurate. The judge should educate herself by doing the following: Read the book the young man cited, Ecstasy, the complete guide. Visit the Web site www.canadianharmreduction.com. Visit the Web site of The Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy and follow the links to all the articles on ecstasy. Visit the "Vaults of Erowid" -- www.erowid.org, where she will find a considerable amount of factual information about ecstasy. I mention Erowid because an RCMP toxicologist recommended it a couple of years ago as a factual source to lawyers at a meeting of Canadian Bar Association in Edmonton on "club drugs." Nevertheless, the young man should recognize that trafficking ecstasy at school is wrong. Would we distribute alcohol? Of course not. But the judge must realize that Borg-like, she can't just dictate what the man should think. BRIAN L. FISH Edmonton - --- MAP posted-by: Beth