Marijuana initiative SAFER passes, changes are considered
Jack Willems
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: News
In the Associated Student Government election last week, the SAFER Referendum, which stated that marijuana offenses should not be punished by the university any harsher than alcohol offenses, passed with 67 percent of the student vote. The sanctions for marijuana possession and use have not yet been modified, but the changes will be discussed, said Daniel Pugh, vice provost for Student Affairs.
"Most of the students we see make the same poor decisions with marijuana that they do with alcohol," Pugh said. "It's not the usage itself that's the bad thing."
Proponents of the initiative are excited to meet with Pugh and other university officials to discuss where to go from here, said Robert Pfountz, campaign director for the initiative and a member of the campus chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
A workforce composed of law enforcement, professors, administrators and members of the SAFER campaign will discuss how to adjust the penalties, said Pfountz, who said he is optimistic that progress will be made because both Pugh and Chancellor G. David Gearhart seem open-minded.
Reducing penalties for marijuana use is a way to curb binge drinking, which is involved in 90 percent of sexual assaults on college campuses and 95 percent of violent crime, Pfountz said. Alcohol encourages violent behavior and contributes to 1,700 deaths on college campuses a year, he said.
Though they do not want to demonize alcohol, members of NORML maintain that it does more damage than marijuana, so the university should not punish people for choosing a safer alternative, Pfountz said.
"There is an epidemic across college campuses of kids being hurt very badly," he said. "Some may scoff at promoting marijuana over alcohol, but we believe it is a matter of life and death."
Not everyone agrees with that assessment, however.
"That's in the eye of the beholder," Pugh said. "Each of them is bad when abused."
"Most of the students we see make the same poor decisions with marijuana that they do with alcohol," Pugh said. "It's not the usage itself that's the bad thing."
Proponents of the initiative are excited to meet with Pugh and other university officials to discuss where to go from here, said Robert Pfountz, campaign director for the initiative and a member of the campus chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
A workforce composed of law enforcement, professors, administrators and members of the SAFER campaign will discuss how to adjust the penalties, said Pfountz, who said he is optimistic that progress will be made because both Pugh and Chancellor G. David Gearhart seem open-minded.
Reducing penalties for marijuana use is a way to curb binge drinking, which is involved in 90 percent of sexual assaults on college campuses and 95 percent of violent crime, Pfountz said. Alcohol encourages violent behavior and contributes to 1,700 deaths on college campuses a year, he said.
Though they do not want to demonize alcohol, members of NORML maintain that it does more damage than marijuana, so the university should not punish people for choosing a safer alternative, Pfountz said.
"There is an epidemic across college campuses of kids being hurt very badly," he said. "Some may scoff at promoting marijuana over alcohol, but we believe it is a matter of life and death."
Not everyone agrees with that assessment, however.
"That's in the eye of the beholder," Pugh said. "Each of them is bad when abused."
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 5
CurtisNeeley Jr. MFA
Curtis J. Neeley Jr
posted 4/16/09 @ 11:05 PM CST
Common since, er..err...common cents, er..err.....common scents,...er..err...common sense ........FINALLY!
Mark Montgomery
posted 4/17/09 @ 1:35 AM CST
Marijuana should be legal. A group of 20,000 very serious policemen, prosecutors and attorneys have formed a group to legalize ALL drugs, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (http://leap. (Continued…)
Clayton
posted 4/18/09 @ 1:09 AM CST
I wish SAFER would do more, as I think their message strikes a tone with millions of hypocritical drinkers that causes like NORML and MPP don't really reach. (Continued…)
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