Pubdate: Mon, 13 Jan 2014
Source: Ubyssey (CN BC Edu)
Contact:  http://www.ubyssey.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/706
Author: Aurora Tejeida

UBC HEMPOLOGY CLUB HAS HIGH HOPES FOR SUB

UBC's Hempology Club usually holds its meetings outside the SUB, but
last week, the club booked a room in the SUB and brought a vaporizer.

The meeting was a joint event staged in conjunction with the Brewery
Club, which is working on infusing beer with marijuana. However, the
highlight of the reunion wasn't the beer syrup or the early stages of
pot-infused alcohol, but rather the use of a marijuana vaporizer in
the SUB.

The reunion was a success. At one point, there were at least 25 people
in SUB room 211. Outside the room, a colourful sign read: "Stay dry,
get high." Inside, a scrunched-up towel was placed under the door to
keep the fumes in.

"This is the first time that we've ever done anything in the confines
of the SUB," said club treasurer Corbin Manson, a second-year Forestry
student who used to canvas for SensibleBC, a group that supports the
referendum to decriminalize marijuana consumption in B.C.

"The [AMS] probably don't know we have a vaporizer in here, but if you
can break the barrier, that's the first step to any of the progress
that we're trying to talk about here," said club president Jared
Barney, a second-year Forestry student.

The progress Barney is talking about is convincing the AMS to open a
vapour lounge in the SUB.

"The plan is happening right now. We would love to get a vaporizer
[from the AMS]. It's healthier, less polluting [and] if you smoke with
it indoors it doesn't leave any residues," said Manson. "And it's
better than being outside in the cold and the rain."

But the AMS had no idea the club was using a vaporizer in the SUB, or
even that the group smoked marijuana. "From my understanding, [the
Hempology Club] is about awareness, but again, we do not condone
illegal behaviour within our facility, which is the SUB," said AMS
President Caroline Wong.

The AMS is not enthusiastic about the creation of a vapour lounge. "As
per our handbook, any illegal behaviour is subject to potential
expulsion," said Wong. "The usage of marijuana and cannabis is illegal
unless it's for medicinal reasons."

The club members, however, remain hopeful. "I think that in the long
term, having an AMS vapour lounge would be a huge boon for the student
body," said Manson.

"It all starts with getting a room here and having the AMS be aware of
what we're doing," added Barney.

According to Manson, the club made all the arrangements by the book.
"We just got all our members together, did some marketing, booked a
room through the AMS and it was as simple as that."

The AMS is aware, but at this moment it doesn't look like they'll get
a vapour lounge any time soon. "To my knowledge, we have never
considered opening a vapour lounge in the SUB," said Wong.

Wong said that she emailed Campus Security and the Student
Administration Commission, which oversees clubs, asking them to do an
immediate investigation of the Hempology Club.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D