Pubdate: Tue, 14 Apr 2015
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Cassidy Olivier
Page: 5

STUDENT SAYS ANTI-POT SHIRT GOT HIM IN TROUBLE

Surrey: Group says no to legalization of marijuana

High school student Connor Fesenmaier says he's unsure why school
administrators at Surrey's Princess Margaret secondary asked him to
consider removing the anti-pot T-shirt he wore to classes on Monday,
given the anti-drug message the school preaches.

The 18-year-old, his twin brother Duncan and a friend wore shirts
featuring a crossed-out marijuana leaf to promote their opposition to
the legalization and overall use of pot. The teens are involved in
Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada, a non-profit group focused on
the science of marijuana use, he explained.

Fesenmaier said they were individually pulled into the
vice-principal's office as soon as they entered the school Monday morning.

Each was told to consider removing or covering up the shirts because
the message could be confusing to the younger students, Fesenmaier
said.

"I completely disagree with that," Fesenmaier told the
Province.

"I have not had a single person misinterpret it yet. Either someone is
giving me a hate stare, because they are against me supporting (the
anti-legalization movement) or they pat me on the back. I've never
seen anyone not know what the anti-symbol is."

Fesenmaier said all three declined the request, at which point they
were allowed to leave and return to classes unpunished.

Doug Strachan, spokesman for the Surrey School District, described the
conversation with the students as "mature."

"The fundamental principle is that there was no ban," Strachan
said.

"It certainly appears with the amount of media calls and some
distribution of statement that the shirts were banned, that there
certainly was a desire to get media attention for something."

Fesenmaier has been involved with the anti-pot movement for several
years. He said he's particularly troubled by the "whole medical
marijuana aspect" of the debate, as it creates the "illusion" that pot
is a medicine, not an illegal drug.

He plans to protest next week's so-called annual 4/20 "smoke out" at
the Vancouver Art Gallery.

"It's only damaged the whole outlook on how kids look at marijuana,"
he said.

"They tend to use it and say 'Hey man, it's only medicine, what's the
worst it can do?'

"And that is a terrible thing for a kid to be confused
with."

The teen said he remains confused by the school's request.

"I see kids walking around the school with marijuana paraphernalia,"
he said

"Shirts with marijuana leaves on them, backpacks with marijuana leaves
on them, cellphone cases with marijuana leaves on them.

"And I've never seen those kids have their items confiscated or asked
to remove or replace them with something else."
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