Pubdate: Wed, 09 May 2001 Source: Maneater, The Copyright: 2001 The Maneater (U. Missouri) Contact: http://www.themaneater.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1283 Author: Renee Fullerton U. MISSOURI MARIJUANA ADVOCATES HIT CAPITOL (U-WIRE) COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A steady drizzle didn't dampen the spirits of the people who gathered on the steps of the state Capitol for a rally on Saturday. More than 150 people met to show their support for industrial hemp and medicinal and recreational marijuana use. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws sponsored the event. Students from the University of Missouri NORML chapter attended the rally to draw attention to their cause. "If we want action, then we have to prove there is a constituency," MU NORML President Jeremy Hudson said. "Many politicians think it would hurt their political career if they openly show support for marijuana." The rally featured several speakers, including Hudson, along with live music. Many said they believe the rain kept some people from attending the rally. "The rally was a little bit disappointing," MU sophomore Marcy Spudich said. "I don't know if the rain kept people away or if people wouldn't have shown up anyway. The idea was to be there and be seen and heard, and we were." MU students said they attended the rally for different reasons. Spudich said she attended the rally to show support for individual freedoms. "I am concerned about the effects prohibition is having on society," Spudich said. "Individuals should have sovereignty over their own bodies." MU senior Amber Langston said she came to the rally because she supports industrializing hemp. "I believe that a lot of the laws regarding the plant cannabis are wrong," Langston said. "The public has been misinformed by the government for many years." The rally also aimed to make state lawmakers aware of NORML's position. A bill sponsored by Sen. Harry Wiggins, D-Kansas City, would allow a person who has suffered distress as a result of someone else's illegal drug use to seek compensation. Hudson said the bill was unwarranted and extreme. "This bill is absolute lunacy from a justice perspective," he said. "It is a totally new dimension for a law." The Missouri House and Senate are also considering bills to deny workers' unemployment and workers' compensation for employees who test positive for drugs in urine tests. Sen. John Loudon, R-St. Louis, is sponsoring a bill that would allow employers to hold benefits of workers terminated for testing positive for drugs. The employers would have to post a drug-free workplace policy beforehand to withhold benefits. "It will add a whole lot more validity to drug-free workplace policy," Loudon said. "Employers shouldn't have to pay if their employees broke the rules." Hudson said the use of urine tests to deny benefits should be unconstitutional. "Americans need to be woken up to the fact that their own bodies are being used to testify against them," Hudson. "Even urine should be able to take the fifth." Some members of the Missouri General Assembly are in favor of exploring the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes and the reinstitution of industrial hemp. "I introduced legislation several years ago to encourage research on medicinal marijuana," said Rep. Vicky Riback Wilson, D-Columbia, whose constituency includes MU. "It is an issue we definitely need to look into. Hemp in the past has been a very profitable crop for Missouri. It is an agricultural product that the state should look at." - --- MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe