Marijuana legalization group has first meeting Friday

The Alligator (Gainesville, FL) ^ | January 15, 2003 | Daniel Baer

[MrLeRoy]

Two UF students are on a quest.

Josh Manning and Matt Jones want to educate others about the risks associated with marijuana, which they said are exaggerated by mainstream media. The two freshmen started a chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws at UF and within two months had nearly 400 members.

The first meeting of the semester is being held Friday at 8 p.m. in Room 282 at the Reitz Union.

Both Manning and Jones said they are firm believers that the responsible use of cannabis should not be considered a crime.

“We’re not asking UF to attach its name to an illegal drug,” Jones said.

“We’re just asking for UF to recognize that there are so many students who agree on issues like this.”

Some students are concerned about UF funding a club that promotes legalizing marijuana.

“I don’t think the university should be forced to fund diversity groups,” said criminology junior Jared Smith. “This is a tax-run university and I don’t think that the majority of Floridians would agree with the university using tax dollars to support a group that advocates the use of marijuana.”

Josh Tompkins, a linguistics junior, said he does not mind people using marijuana, but does not want UF to associate with the group.

“I don’t mind the individual use of marijuana,” Tompkins said. “But it shouldn’t be funded at the university level or any level larger than the individual.”

Student Body President Nikki Fried said that student organizations may not use Student Government money to promote their opinions. She added that they can use the money to bring in speakers, promote the functions of the groups, tell where to get information about the subject and where meetings are held.

“Student Government does fund numerous organizations that are politically charged,” Fried said. “We do not use our personal opinions to make decisions on whether something should be funded. None of the money may be used to distribute information about the political issue.”

NORML is a nationwide lobbying organization that has existed for more than 30 years and is the forerunner in the marijuana legalization movement.

According to the UF Health Center Web site, 80 percent of UF students did not smoke marijuana in the past 30 days, yet out of on-campus narcotic arrests, the majority are for marijuana.

“Ninety to 95 percent of narcotic arrests on campus are of marijuana,” Joe Sharkey, University Police Department spokesman said.

Last semester, Accent brought the editor of High Times magazine and a 20-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Agency to debate the legalizing of marijuana.

David Kaye, vice chairman of Accent and a senior majoring in political science, said that there is obviously a great interest in this topic and that he is in full support of NORML.

Also, starting this semester, NORML is planning on showing documentaries on marijuana use in the Reitz Union theatre.

[MrLeRoy]

Wod_list ping

[bigfootbob]

It's hard to put the genie back into the bottle, huh?

[MrLeRoy]

70 million Americans know from first-hand experience that the Partnership for a Drug Free America ads are preposterous lies---and so presumably another few tens of millions know it from second-hand experience. Yes, that toothpaste is well out of the tube.

[Illbay]

Marijuana legalization group has first meeting Friday

That's if they (a) remember the meeting time, (b) remember the meeting place, (c) don't "zone out" and "crash" on the couch and miss the meeting, and (d) make sure to bring plenty of "munchies" to accomodate the other numb-brains who MIGHT show up if they don't succumb to their own poison, either.

The notion of "organized" dopers is a humorous one.

[Illbay]

Funny, I'd have thought "genie out of the bottle" meant "people know the lies that YOU people promote," like "drug use is a harmless, personal choice."

You are so foolish, and it's further made more hilarious by the fact that you don't realize it...thus prolonging the fun.

[DAnconia55]

“I don’t think the university should be forced to fund diversity groups,” said criminology junior Jared Smith. “This is a tax-run university and I don’t think that the majority of Floridians would agree with the university using tax dollars to support a group that advocates the use of marijuana.”

From a jackboot in training. Gee, how surprising.

[Phantom Lord]

I am sure Jared Smith would be saying the opposite if someone was complaining about their tax dollars being used to for the "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Student Union" or the "African-American Student Union".

[Desecrated]

"drug use is a harmless, personal choice." No, marijuana use is a harmless, personal choice. Read again, this time for comprehension. That is if you can come out of your ivory tower and interrupt your lecture to us peons on the evils of drug use.

[MrLeRoy]

The notion of "organized" dopers is a humorous one.

Yes, with chapters in 37 states and an annual national conference, NORML is clearly a scatterbrained lot.

[MrLeRoy]

"people know the lies that YOU people promote," like "drug use is a harmless, personal choice."

Provide evidence that I or any other FReeper has claimed that, or retract your lie.

[MrLeRoy]

"a group that advocates the use of marijuana.”

NOMRL does not advocate the use of marijuana.

[vin-one]

"You are so foolish, and it's further made more hilarious by the fact that you don't realize it...thus prolonging the fun."

were you looking in the mirror when you stated this?
What is funny is you never provide any proof, to your outlandish statements.

[Wolfie]

Hey, hey about a link...

NORML

[MrLeRoy]

Here's another good one: Your Government Is Lying To You (Again) About Marijuana: A Refutation of the Drug Czar's "Open Letter to America's Prosecutors"

[BlackbirdSST]

The notion of "organized" dopers is a humorous one.Hang onto your hat Illbay, times they are a changing. Blackbird.

[bassmaner]

Yesterday, Rush was explaining why his show was as popular as it is -- a large part of its appeal is the humor that results from pointing out the idiocy of the Left's policies. It doesn't work in reverse, and all that's left for them to do is call names.

A similar situation exists here on FR in the never-ending debate between the drug warriors and drug reformers. We reformers come to the discussion armed with facts about the abject failure of drug prohibition, and all the warriors can do is call us "liberdopians", "dopers", "potheads", etc. and offer no real defense for the failed policy of locking up pot smokers in anal-rape camps. Since drug warriors and leftists both support the supremacy of government over individuals, we can assume that they really are 2 sides of the same anti-American, socialist coin. It's a fact they'll never admit when they're spewing the same tired ad homenims over and over.

[Wolfie]

Damn, that was a slam dunk. Walters must be some kind of nut-case to not know the truth would win out.

[vin-one]

is the humor that results from pointing out the idiocy of the Left's(woder's) policies.

just like those commericals not very effective, add to that the proof
your gov't is lying to you.
MJ the dangerous drug that will make you kill little girls on bikes
or shoot your best friend or rape a little girl.
lol, those commericals only help swell the numbers of NORML,
just like the left's push against guns increases the membership to the NRA.........

[Illbay]

Yeah, yeah, dopers ALWAYS see change in the wind...because they can't compare two moments and come up with the rational conclusion "SSDD".

Progressive destruction of neurons'll do that to ya...