Pubdate: Tue, 21 May 2002 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2002 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Jason Proctor BLAINE TEENS JAILED UNDER TOUGH U.S. BORDER POLICY Lure Of Easy Money Smuggling B.C. Bud Gives High-School Kids A Prison Record BLAINE, Wash. -- The voice on the end of the phone is hesitant. As the speaker confirms his name, he adds the word "unfortunately." Unfortunate to be a kid who should have known better. This is one of five Blaine teenagers arrested last week for the simple crime of carrying a hockey bag across a border at midnight. A hockey bag full of marijuana. The incident has a lot of people in the area thinking, he says. And it has him very worried. "I would say definitely to anybody who is thinking of doing it -- don't do it. It's not a good thing," sighs the 18-year-old, who -- following his lawyer's advice -- spoke on the condition of anonymity. "The impact is pretty great. Kids get into things that they don't really realize what it's all about. They're in their own little land -- and then reality hits, and they can't deal with it." Reality, say young people in this quiet, clean little town, is that B.C. bud is as commonplace in Blaine as are British Columbians themselves. A steady flow of both legal and illegal traffic moves back and forth across the line. And naturally, some attitudes towards pot on both sides of the border are similar. But the differences stop when it comes to law enforcement. Most Canadian cops may turn a blind eye to the odd joint, but even the smallest offence involving drugs is a big deal in the United States. Trafficking brings major penalties and the promise of prison time. B.C.'s 20,000 estimated grow-operations already account for an annual pot trade estimated at $6 billion. But a spate of recent arrests has law officials here worried that traffickers are recruiting youth as more than just potential customers. In the past two weeks, Border Patrol agents have made three busts involving groups of teens. "Down here, it can effectively destroy you," says Blaine Police Deputy Chief Mike Haslip. "You're starting off life at age 18 with a felony conviction. The possibility of doing an extended multi-year conviction in a federal prison is not a way to start your life. And we've had it happen." The teen who spoke to The Province was caught in a seizure which netted 18 kilograms of marijuana and two impounded vehicles. Three of the teens were recruited to watch while two others retrieved bags dropped near a trail on the Canadian side of the border. The accused is currently awaiting trial in Whatcom County on charges of drug smuggling and conspiracy. Even the few days he spent in jail awaiting bail were an ordeal. "It's really given me a different perspective on life," he says. "Seeing all the things you've taken for granted makes you see things differently." Last week, police and school officials met to discuss the problem. Two of those arrested were students at Blaine High School. Haslip says an assembly will be held soon to talk to kids about drugs, trafficking and the potential cost of what may seem to be easy money. George Dickson and his friends say it's a lesson that many young people here have already learned. But the 22-year-old believes that lots of kids are still willing to take the risks. "There's a lot of traffic, a lot of drug use in Blaine. They think it's easy to get across because it's so close to the border. They figure they can get away with it easier," says Dickson. "It'll ruin these kids' lives forever. This'll stick with them forever." Lance Midkiff says everybody around here has heard about B.C. bud and lots of teens have smoked it. And since Blaine is a border town, many young people have friends in both Canada and the United States. Somewhere, someone is always recruiting. "I think that kids think they're invincible," says the 25-year-old. "I think they see how much money they can make off it. You think the laws don't apply because you think you're invincible." A felony conviction in the U.S. results in the loss of civil rights. An ex-convict can't vote, can't possess weapons, can't join the military and can't apply for student loans. About the only right they do have is to be discriminated against by landlords or employers. Keith Miller, assistant chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol, says the increased security following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has resulted in an increased concentration of technology and vigilance along the borders. "What used to be a game of jumping the ditch and evading a lone local agent is no longer the case," he says. "Your kids up there are going to get a fine if they're caught with marijuana. Down here, they're going to prison." Miller's instinct tells him that as the border tightens, seizures will increase. Like Haslip, he's hoping the recent arrests will serve as a strong deterrent to other kids thinking of getting involved. To a Canadian, the talk sounds heavy-handed. Dickson and Midkiff say it seems that way to Blaine youth as well. After all, they only live a few minutes south of Lotusland. You can practically touch Surrey. But as Haslip points put, those are American flags flying outside. "It takes a village to raise a youth," he says. "Legislation expresses morality of country and community. And our penalties are an expression of our morality." - --- MAP posted-by: Ariel