Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 05/99) - Yellowknife RCMP arrested and charged a 15-year-old female last Friday for being in possession of 15 grams of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

RCMP at Yellowknife's drug section said the marijuana was prepared individually in grams, which is the customary fashion used for selling the drug on the street.

The bust occurred at the Computer Games Arcade Friday, Jan. 29. Most of the teens who Yellowknifer spoke to at the arcade the following week said they had already heard about it. The teens agreed that although drugs are available to youth, it isn't often that one of their friends or other teens they might know gets involved in trafficking.

One group of teens said being approached with the opportunity to buy drugs from peers or being in the presence of drug use among friends isn't even an issue for them.

"You don't see it (drugs) at school or here," said a Grade 11 male who was playing foosball with a few of his friends. "You know it's there but I never see it."

One of his friends added, "Only people who see it are people who want to see it."

A Grade 10 female said although she knows about and has been a witness to drug use, teens aren't the ones commonly selling drugs.

"I see it (drugs) but you don't get it here (at the arcade)," she said. "My friends buy it off someone else. It's hard to get weed in this town. It's only the adults who have it.

"Sometimes it's teens (selling) but it's the adults who they get it from. They don't come here. Adults never come here except a couple older guys to play video games. If people are dealing they get kicked out."

Ron Rosnawski, owner and manager of the arcade, said the youth at the arcade are very seldom involved in dealing drugs, and those who are suspected are not welcome in the establishment.

"Maybe once or twice a year we ban someone (from the arcade) and that's even if we suspect it," said owner, manager, Ron Rosnawski.

Regarding drug use among youth in Yellowknife, Rosnawski said those who use it or buy it aren't just the ones who hang out at the arcade.

"There's kids with drugs in the mall, there's kids with drugs in the schools, it's not here that you should come running when some kid is caught with drugs," said Rosnawski. "There wouldn't be drugs if people did their job. As long as adults bring drugs into the country the youth will have them. They get it from adults. Most of the problems are the product of adults. Kids are products of adults."

Cpl. Mike Brandford of the Yellowknife RCMP said drug trafficking is conducted mostly in the general downtown area of the city but that the number of youth trafficking is considerably less than adults.

"If you are asking about the ratio between youth and adults trafficking I think the ratio is quite wide," said Cpl. Brandford. "It's not nearly as often (as adults). There are youths trafficking and I think there are youth out there who are trafficking quite heavily."

RCMP are concerned with drug use in youth especially when drugs become available through youth trafficking to their peers.

"It is always an issue when it's trafficking to kids in their age group," said Cpl. Brandford. "We have a DARE (drugs awareness resistance education) program in the schools now... I think it will be a successful program. We also do regular talks in the schools."