By Jerry Loome
U.S. CUSTOMS ZEALOTS HAVE GONE TO POT

As far as twentysomething Edmontonians go, Chris is a pretty industrious guy. After three years of working for an entertainment company he’s still eating Kraft dinner but he sees a payoff not far down the line.

In fact, three months from now Chris is supposed to be in one of the 13 cities on the Rolling Stones’ North American tour because the company he works for is handling the tour bookings - you know, transportation to the shows, making sure fans have a great time.

Nice work if you can get it.

"I’ve been waiting a long time for this opportunity and now it’s so close," said Chris, a 29-year-old who asked that his last name not be used.

"And now this."

The "this" in question is Chris’s nemesis, the United States Customs and Immigration Service, the folks who seem intent on keeping him from crossing into Uncle Sam’s land.

Seems Chris was heading to Thailand via Seattle for a vacation in November, the kind you save up for a year to go on, replete with beach house and gentle lapping waves.

Oh, he got waves alright. As in, wave bye-bye to the $900 he spent on the plane ticket. He was not, it turns out, good enough to mingle with the poor and huddled masses.

See, about a decade ago, Chris was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was at the scene of a pot deal and got picked up for trafficking.

No big deal. It was quickly determined he wasn’t involved and the charge was dropped.

But not everyone - particularly U.S. Customs - forgets.

This time was different. After admitting he’d been charged, he also answered honestly that he had tried marijuana in the past (but doesn’t smoke it now.) He was summarily dismissed and told if he wants to get into the U.S., he’ll have to get a special waiver.

Chris is most upset about the details of his conversation with the customs officer. He was "tricked," he believes, into admitting he was once charged.

Yeah, whatever. What bugs me - what should bug any average schmo - is the double standard being applied week after week by our American neighbours.

After all, their own President - admittedly, not the most reliable source - says he smoked marijuana. And they let him back in.

Then there’s Grant Fuhr, a name any Edmontonian who hasn’t been trapped down a well is familiar with. The NHL goalie went public a number of years back with his cocaine problems.

When asked on talk shows about his early years in show biz, Canadian comedian Dan Ackroyd quite openly discusses his drug-addled excursions with now-dead actor John Belushi.

But is the surviving Blues Brother deported for it? Of course not.

And then last year, there was Ross Rebagliati. Admitting to having smoked dope in the past didn’t keep him off the Tonight Show or the World Cup snowboarding circuit.

Although, he might prove an easier target, to hear Chris talk, "They’re going to wish this hadn’t happened because I’m not going to stop making noise about this one."

He has already taken his concerns to both the federal government and the customs officer’s boss.

If need be, he says he’ll protest at the airport or hand out literature to Canadians heading south advising them that they should be prepared to lie.

And he’s right. I don’t know many people who haven’t tried marijuana.