Pubdate: Wed, 14 May 2008
Source: Orion, The (California State Chico, CA Edu)
Copyright: 2008 The Orion
Contact:  http://www.orion-online.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2816
Author: Sarah Kelly

STUDENTS CAUGHT IN DRUG RING CAN STILL HAVE SUCCESSFUL LIVES ONCE 
AFFAIR BLOWS OVER

Almost everyone dabbles in things they are curious about in college. 
Sometimes this curiosity involves a severe case of the munchies. But 
this activity does not necessarily mean students are doomed to a 
smoke-filled future.

Exhibit "A" is the 75 students of San Diego State who were arrested 
in connection with Operation Sudden Fall - an in-depth investigation 
that led the Drug Enforcement Agency to seize evidence that included 
more than 4 pounds of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, 48 hydroponic 
marijuana plants, 350 Ecstasy pills, 30 vials of hashish oil, 
methamphetamine, mushrooms, various illicit prescription drugs, a 
shotgun, three semiautomatic pistols, three brass knuckles and 
$60,000 in cash, the Los Angeles Times reported.

One of the major suspects, Kenneth Ciaccio, 19, was recently praised 
as a model student in a publication produced by the university's 
public relations department. The article was promptly removed from 
the Web site, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Because of the nature of his supposed crime, Ciaccio and all other 
men will not be able to finish out their years at San Diego State, 
and probably won't be able to graduate any time soon. Stephen Weber, 
San Diego State president, said all the men arrested have been 
suspended from school and the ones who live in university housing 
were evicted, the Los Angeles Times reported.

However, these men still have a chance to make the most of their 
futures. Some of our country's most respected men have even done a 
little experimenting and been able to make something of themselves.

Rumors about President George W. Bush's supposed cocaine use have 
never been resolved.

In 1994 Bush was asked about his drug use during his campaign for 
governor of Texas, Bush replied, "What I did as a kid? I don't think 
it's relevant," The Huffington Post reported.

Senator and presidential hopeful Barack Obama admitted to his use of 
cocaine and marijuana in a memoir he wrote about 12 years ago. He 
said in the book, "Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and 
Inheritance," he was just trying to find himself - just like a lot of 
young college students are.

"Junkie. Pothead. That's where I'd been headed: the final, fatal role 
of the young would-be black man ... I got high (to) push questions of 
who I was out of my mind," he wrote.

OK, so maybe we find ourselves in different ways, but Obama just had 
to make a few mistakes before he figured out he needed to change the 
direction of his life. Maybe, like Obama, the men of San Diego State 
just needed a period of trial and error before they got it right.

Bill Clinton is also a great example of a man who experimented with 
drugs but still had a bright future ahead of him. He was also able to 
run a country for eight years while carrying on a marital affair. 
Just like college students, Clinton was able to multitask.

"When I was in England, I experimented with marijuana a time or two, 
and I didn't like it," Clinton once said. "I didn't inhale, and I 
never tried it again."

So Clinton was able to move on, but that's something the fun-loving 
college students from San Diego State were allegedly not ready to let 
go of. They're just young and high on life, and maybe some enhancers.

With their education from San Diego State, they may even know a bit 
about history and about the 42nd President of the United States. They 
may pay homage to him in stoner circles, using the term a "Bill Clinton hit."

As defined by UrbanDictionary.com, a Bill Clinton hit is when someone 
tries to look cool by smoking weed but doesn't want to actually smoke 
it. So as a front, they smoke into their mouth instead of into their 
lungs. Stoners hate this because it wastes perfectly good marijuana.

College is a time for growing. It is a time for mistakes and learning 
from them. Unfortunately, some students learn the hard way. But if 
you work hard enough, maybe you could become president and get a kind 
of bong rip named after you, too.

But don't ever waste good weed. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake