Pubdate: Fri, 18 Apr 2008
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)
Copyright: 2008 Santa Cruz Sentinel
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/sE0hOwkGfF
Website: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/394
Author: J.M. Brown
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular)

UCSC TAKES SECURITY MEASURES FOR '4/20"

SANTA CRUZ -- UC Santa Cruz officials will restrict  visitor and
vehicle access on campus Sunday in  anticipation of thousands
gathering to mark the  so-called 4/20 cannabis culture holiday.

According to a memo sent to faculty and staff Thursday  by Executive
Vice Chancellor David S. Kliger, UCSC will  take numerous measures to
block unauthorized vehicles  from entering campus and parking, as well
as parking  along Empire Grade, the 1.2 mile stretch between the  main
and west gates. Students also will not be allowed  to have overnight
guests tonight or Saturday.

The once student-only gathering to smoke marijuana in  UCSC's Porter
Meadow is now known nationwide, and has  grown to 5,000 strong over
the years as word has spread  through articles in Rolling Stone and
other magazines,  as well as Web sites such as Wikipedia and YouTube.
The  spike in attendance was also closely timed with a vote  by Santa
Cruz residents in 2006 to make marijuana use a  low-priority crime for
police.

The university reminded students in an e-mail Thursday  that it does
not condone the gathering, which is named  for the day or time of day
well-known among regular  marijuana users internationally for toking
up. The  e-mail warned students that using marijuana could land  them
a police citation and campus judicial write-up.

But, UCSC spokesman Barry Shiller said the campus does  not intend to
ramp up its police presence, and has made  no arrests and issued few,
if any, student judicial citations for marijuana smoking  during past
4/20 events. Still, he said, "The presence  of pot and large crowds of
people breaking the law is  not something we're thrilled about."

Keeping students from participating has proven  difficult due to the
crowd's size, so UCSC has focused  on restricting throngs of outsiders
through special  security and traffic measures. Admittedly, however, 
Shiller said the campus can do very little about people  who walk on
to campus outside the gates, though  unauthorized people are subject
to being thrown out.

"The increasingly large crowds that have gathered in  recent years
present safety risks for participants,  whether students or people not
affiliated with the  campus," Kliger wrote. "This activity also
violates a  number of campus regulations designed to provide for  the
well-being of our campus and the neighboring  community."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin