On Oct. 8, Lindsay Alexander wrote a column opposing the approval of Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana in Florida. Alexander's concerns about Amendment 2 are misguided. I have studied Amendment 2 and many other states' medical marijuana legislation, and I can confidently say that she is mistaken about the amendment's meaning and about the consequences for our state that passing Amendment 2 will have. California was the first state to pass medical marijuana legislation. Proposition 215 passed in 1996, and it was a sparse bill that provided little regulatory guidance. The predictable result, as Alexander noted, was a poorly regulated system that allows virtually anyone to obtain access to marijuana. [continues 433 words]
Katy Perry was right. In California, the grass is always greener. And as of last week, getting caught with an ounce or less of grass won't get you jail time, it will only get you a $100 fine and a citation. For those playing at home, that's about three days of parking citations from UF and less than one citation for using a duplicate decal. Non-medical marijuana has officially been decriminalized in the state of California, making it the 12th state in the union to do so. It also puts California on a path to being on the right side of history. [continues 528 words]
Sean Quinn is mistaken when suggesting that Florida should decriminalize marijuana. It's clearly time to completely re-legalize cannabis for responsible adults. Another reason to stop punishing and persecuting citizens for using the relatively safe, God-given plant that doesn't get mentioned is because it is biblically correct since God indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they're all good on literally the first page (Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). Ending cannabis prohibition is one of the most important issues of our time. Stan White, Dillon, Colo [end]
I disagree with Tommy Maple's column that addresses how the increased tax on cigarettes is wrong. According to the American Cancer Society, 440,000 people in the United States die every year from cigarette-related deaths and many more suffer from cardiovascular complications due to their habits. These health problems caused by cigarette smoking serve only to place a huge burden on the state's health care system. During times of economic recession, it makes sense to tax those who choose to buy cigarettes, as they are the ones who may need to utilize the state's health care system once their tobacco habit begins to cause serious health problems. Why should nonsmokers pay for the health problems of those who make the conscious decision to light up? [continues 231 words]
We weren't surprised by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's candid admission that he smoked pot long before he became a public figure - that seems to be the political norm since the whole "I did not inhale" debacle. However, we were a little confused when he revealed an inflexible stance on drug law reforms in Florida during a press conference last Saturday. Basically, Charlie thinks everything is just fine the way it is. Nothing could be further from the truth. At current levels, the state prison system costs taxpayers an astounding $1.4 billion each year. [continues 466 words]
Everyone loves waffles. Recently, "waffling" appears to be a popular activity among public figures and officials. Thankfully, this wave of ambivalence has drifted in favor of UF. Gov. Charlie Crist dropped his dreaded threat to veto a bill allowing UF to charge a higher tuition. Crist's change of heart came in light of two developments - his realization that 11 presidents unanimously supported the bill and the fact that the bill won't be taking effect until the fall of 2008. Also, the bill only affects UF, Florida State University and the University of South Florida. [continues 480 words]
It is unfortunate that two UF athletes jeopardized their athletic careers by purchasing marijuana. Surely they knew the law and team policy, and both policies should have been obeyed. But I am much more distressed to hear that they were arrested as part of a sting operation. Gainesville still has actual crimes with actual victims, right? Shouldn't the police department be committed to helping people? Preventing victimless crimes does not help anyone. Whatever your opinion on the morality of drug prohibition may be, I hope we can all agree GPD has more important things to do with our money than to try to trick people into buying pot. [continues 60 words]
The media attention given to the drug Ecstasy is nothing new to Gainesville. When one of us transferred to UF in 1999 from Miami, the controversy over Ecstasy - more specifically, MDMA - was in full swing in this college town. The rave scene that had sprung up in the mid to late '90s, centering around a notorious club named Simon's, brought night-crawling raver youths to Gainesville in droves. But this scene dissolved due to new legislation that shifted bar and club closing times to 2 a.m. [continues 413 words]
Dan Burroughs' column on legalizing marijuana has some good justifications, but there are two main flaws in his argument. Every adult has the right to choose what goes into his or her body, but the problem is that children are the ones experimenting with marijuana. The harmful effects of marijuana are not debatable and increase exponentially in developing children. Marijuana is a gateway drug. I have seen every one of my friends who experimented with marijuana move on to harder drugs such as crack, cocaine or heroin. Can the same thing be said for alcohol or tobacco? [continues 56 words]
Dan Burrough's observations regarding licit and illicit substances were articulated very well. The societal burdens created by use and misuse of alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceuticals far outweigh those created by marijuana use. He was also correct to note that the "gateway" theory supported by public health professionals and echoed by public policymakers has been disproven time and again. Interestingly, we've all watched arguments in support of marijuana prohibition change many times over the decades. During the 1930s, the message was, "Marijuana causes insanity." In the past five years, we've seen the Office of National Drug Control Policy fund public service messages indicating that marijuana use supports terrorism, causes hit-and-run automobile accidents and leads to teenage pregnancy. [continues 108 words]
Tom Angell Spoke On The Flaws Of The Higher Education Act Murderers, arsonists and rapists are still allowed to get it, but get caught smoking a blunt and your financial aid will get flushed along with it. Tom Angell, campaigns director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said a 1998 provision to the Higher Education Act - which delays or denies students with drug convictions from receiving financial aid - is flawed. Angell spoke to about 30 students in the Reitz Union on Thursday night as part of NORML UF's push for students to become aware of the HEA drug provision, which he said is "also known as the law that sucks a lot and ruins hundreds of students' lives every year." [continues 289 words]
While he was a student at Penn State, Rob Kampia was arrested for growing marijuana for recreational use and spent three months in jail in 1991. The next year he was elected student body president. Kampia, now executive director of the non-profit advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project, spoke Tuesday night in the Reitz Union Auditorium urging listeners to take his example and lobby for the legalization of medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. "We want to end marijuana prohibition, and tax and regulate marijuana so that adults can use marijuana responsibly and not fear getting arrested or going to jail," Kampia said. [continues 385 words]
Ruling's Effect on Florida Unknown Wednesday's Supreme Court decision rendering current sentencing guidelines within the federal court system unconstitutional surprised law-makers and breakers across the nation. Criminal defense attorney Larry Turner, who also is a former judge within the Eighth Judicial Circuit that includes Alachua County, said he believes the ruling is long overdue. "In effect, the decisions stand for several different propositions," Turner said. "One proposition is that juries, not judges, determine guilt and innocence ... in imposing sentences, a judge cannot increase a sentence by making findings that the jury didn't make." [continues 332 words]
Student senators preliminarily granted UF's chapter of the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws $3,031 Tuesday night to bring a speaker to campus this Spring. Senators again will have to agree on the money during their meeting next week for it to be allotted. NORML founder Josh Manning told senators that the group is planning to bring one of seven federally approved medicinal marijuana users to campus. Manning would not, however, comment on which user the members plan to invite. [continues 248 words]
Editor's note: This is the first in a three-part series detailing Gainesville Police Department's Comprehensive Drug Plan to rid city streets of drug dealers. The Gainesville Police Department is reaping the benefits of an international drug bust operation from 1993 to 1997. Money paid to the departments of participating officers is making it possible for GPD to fight street-level drug use today. GPD received $5 million from the Department of Justice about four months ago, GPD spokesman Keith Kameg said. [continues 420 words]
It's not just about the pot, according to the local chapter of a marijuana legalization club. Josh Manning, the president of the UF chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, is planning several events for the month to help educate the public about marijuana. Today, Kris Krane, NORML's national affiliate director and chapter coordinator, will speak at 7 p.m. in Turlington, Room L007. The organization also has planned to rally on Turlington on Thursday. "It's just a speak out that we are doing in coordination with Students for Sensible Drug Policies, focusing on the Higher Education Act and medical marijuana," Manning said. [continues 297 words]
Editor: The intent of NORML is to raise awareness about an important political issue, and we are extremely happy that Joseph Benson and others were interested in our cause and, hopefully, they learned something. After our nationally touring guest speakers, we began discussing the organization's structure and future plans. Benson was the only member of the crowd to speak publicly and the only member to interject his opinion. At the time of Benson's interruption, we were not discussing marijuana, and because we are a political group, were not discussing religion. His testament was inappropriate by content, timing and context. Consider how you would feel if a NORML member attending a Chi Alpha meeting disrupted the meeting saying, "You don't need Jesus -- just smoke pot!" Marc Caswell Secretary NORML [end]
Allegations against a Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship member were filed last week after he was accused of disrupting a marijuana-awareness group's meeting and sending a woman into hysterics. Josh Manning, president of UF's National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, filed the complaint against UF telecommunications junior Joseph Benson on Friday in response to Benson's alleged unprompted testimony at the meeting. "[Benson's] comments were found offensive and completely disrupted the educational environment we were in," Manning wrote in his complaint to the Dean of Students Office. [continues 297 words]
Two UF Freshmen Start NORML Chapter In Hopes Of Educating Public. 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. [continues 420 words]
A new student organization working to be a recognized chapter of a national marijuana legalization group campaigned Monday on the Reitz Union Colonnade to recruit members. The group is working to become Florida's newest chapter of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. NORML is the oldest and largest marijuana legalization organization in the country, a nonprofit advocacy group funded by donations and membership fees, which lobbies state and federal legislators to legalize marijuana. Thirty-seven states have at least one NORML chapter and Florida boasts seven, including one at the University of Central Florida, University of West Florida, University of South Florida, Florida Atlantic and Florida State universities. [continues 523 words]
