Pubdate: Fri, 10 Apr 2009
Source: Daily Camera (Boulder, CO)
Copyright: 2009 The Daily Camera.
Contact:  http://www.dailycamera.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/103
Author: Lance Vaillancourt
Cited: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
http://www.norml.org/

MARIJUANA FORUM SET FOR CU NEXT WEEKEND

Pro-Pot Student Group Examines Issues Prior To 4/20 
Celebration

BOULDER, Colo. -- A pro-pot student group at the  University of
Colorado has finalized preparations for a  three-day symposium on all
things marijuana-related  that will precede the annual April 20 "4/20"
campus  smoke-out session.

Senior Alex Douglas, director of the CU Boulder chapter  of the
National Organization for the Reform of  Marijuana Laws,  Thursday afternoon  that the schedule for next weekend's
event is set.

"We're really excited to be bringing in speakers from  all over the
country for this," Douglas said. "Anyone  that goes will be informed,
enlightened, and empowered  by this unbiased forum where every side of
the issue is  presented."

The National Forum on Marijuana will open informally on  April 17 with
the National Marijuana Teach-In, in which  students and faculty will
have the opportunity to have  an open forum on marijuana issues during
regularly  scheduled classes. The rest of the weekend will include 
guest speakers ranging from marijuana-movement icons  like founding
editor of High Times magazine Steve Bloom  to anti-drug activists like
Cmdr. Tom Sloan of the  Boulder Country Drug Task Force.

"For us it makes it more of a whole-sided issue when  people who
disagree with us come in to share their  opinions," said senior Mike
West, the campus group's  medical marijuana director. "We're actually
hoping to  discover a common ground where we can eliminate any of  the
harms that could come from (decriminalization)  while gaining all of
the benefits."

The speaker selected to deliver the event's keynote  address is
outspoken conservative political strategist  Jessica Peck Corry, who
gained notoriety during last  year's elections as the executive
director of the  failed Republican-supported, anti-affirmative action 
Colorado Civil Rights Initiative.

"We've proven in this country that Prohibition doesn't  work," Corry
said in an interview. "I don't want kids  to smoke, but keeping it
illegal is not the best way to  make that happen. The best way to keep
kids from doing  drugs is by having a good relationship with their 
parents -- and I would politely request the government  to stop trying
to play that role."

Nearly a dozen panel discussions held over the weekend  will include
such topics as health, politics, science,  history, reform and
enforcement.

Sloan, of the drug task force, will speak at an April  19 discussion
covering federal and state laws.

"I'm open to discussion -- I don't have a problem  having a civil
conversation with anybody," he said.  "(Enforcement officers) have
thoughts on these issues  the same as everybody else does, but the
bottom line is  that we've signed and stated an oath to defend state 
laws."

According to  members, the university has been  supportive of
their efforts to put on the forum, but CU  spokesman Bronson Hilliard
said that support comes with  a caveat.

"These kinds of debates and discussions are perfectly  appropriate for
a college campus, but we are  unilaterally opposed to a smoke-out as
some kind of  pretext for a symbolic demonstration about drug laws," 
Hilliard said.

He encouraged the student group to join the university  in denouncing
the massive April 20 smoking session that  takes place on Norlin Quad
each year.

IF YOU GO

What: National Forum on Marijuana

When: April 17-19

Where: University of Colorado campus, Boulder

Cost: Free

www.normlcu.com
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin