Pubdate: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2003 The Calgary Sun Contact: http://www.fyicalgary.com/calsun.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67 Author: Jason Botchford RELUCTANT DRUG POSTER BOY Teen faces 26 years for selling grass Webster Alexander is 19 years old and his life's dream is lost. His love of marijuana may cost him decades in prison. Moulton, Ala., is a small town that doesn't attract much interest. But that changed when Lawrence County Circuit Judge Philip Reich sentenced Alexander to 26 years, after convicting him of selling 28-gram handfuls of marijuana to an undercover cop. It was his first offence and he pleaded guilty. The plea bargain can't be appealed. He now lives at home, waiting for a judge to decide the nature of his sentence. He could receive probation instead of jail for some, or all, of the 26 years. When pro-marijuana activists caught wind of the sentence, Alexander's face was plastered on posters, first in Canada, and then around the world. A similar conviction in Canada would likely lead to a conditional sentence or fine. Even people convicted for multimillion-dollar operations rarely see jail time here. Raised in a trailer, Alexander had a C-grade average and football was his future. He was counting on a scholarship to pay for a college education that would lead to a job as a phys-ed teacher. His conviction means he can never be a teacher, and he has lost the right to vote. Alexander smoked his first joint when he was just nine. Last February, a new student enrolled at Lawrence County High. Alexander had no idea he was befriending a 26-year-old narc from the county Drug Task Force. On April 9, as the agent set up his fourth buy, police swarmed the Alexanders' trailer. They arrested Alexander at gunpoint. "The cell door slammed," Alexander said. "I was scared to death that I was never going to get out." His uncle put together $90,000 bail. The news was initially welcomed by his family. They wanted him off drugs. But when Webster's mom, Wanda, was told how many years the prosecution was seeking, everything changed. "If they had busted him and not tried to hang him, I would have shook their hands but they're trying to hang my son," Wanda said. John Mayes is Alexander's lawyer. In his office in Moulton, he has a life-size painting of southern Civil War Gen. Robert E. Lee. He calls people from the north "Yankees." Even to a staunch southern conservative, the marijuana laws seem oddly harsh in Alabama. "Alabama does not rehabilitate criminals," Mayes said. "We just punish them." When he worked out Alexander's plea bargain, his office was bombarded by marijuana lobby groups. NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) was first to call. Wanda said they promised to pay for her son's defence. "We're just a small town country family; we didn't know what to do," Wanda said. "The marijuana groups ... said they would help and they wanted us to fire John." And they wanted Alexander to be a spokesman for the legalization cause. "There is no question ... if the marijuana groups were involved, Webster would ... be going to jail for every one of those 26 years," Mayes said. "There were people who were going to say, 'Judge ... if you weren't so stupid, judge, you would realize these drugs should be legal.' " The Alexanders never saw a nickel from any lobby group. They never fired Mayes, who is leading an appeal. Mayes hopes Alexander can avoid some of the prison time. Alexander now undergoes regular drug tests and has been clean for a year. He got a high school diploma from a private school. He volunteers with kids, warning them to try and live a good, clean life. "I just hope I can go to college and live a good life," he said. Mayes is with him. "The penitentiary is no place for a young person," Mayes said. "It's like throwing someone in a garbage can." - --- MAP posted-by: Josh