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."
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