Pubdate: Thu, 27 May 2010
Source: Daily Northwestern (IL Edu)
Copyright: 2010 The Daily Northwestern
Contact:  http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/109
Author: Miranda Viglietti
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/people/Tvert

MARIJUANA ADVOCATE URGES LEGALIZATION

Tvert: Unlike Alcohol, Marijuana Causes No Deaths

Outlawing marijuana steers people toward drinking  alcohol, the 
director of a marijuana advocacy  organization said in a speech at 
Northwestern on  Wednesday evening.

The Food and Drug Administration does not approve of  marijuana and 
the federal government classifies it as  an illegal drug. But Mason 
Tvert, executive director  for Safer Alternative For Enjoyable 
Recreation, said to  nearly a dozen NU students that marijuana is 
safer than  alcohol and should be legalized.

Peace Project and the National Organization for the  Reform of 
Marijuana Laws-Students for Sensible Drug  Policy co-sponsored the 
event to prompt NU students to  scrutinize the country's drug policy 
and foment  dialogue about it, Peace Project President Alexa Razma said.

"I don't think someone should be prosecuted for  choosing to ingest a 
substance if it is causing no harm  to others," the SESP sophomore said.

Tvert said alcohol's legal status has serious  implications for 
college students.

"It sends the dangerous message: 'You are better off  drinking than 
smoking marijuana because you won't get  in as much trouble,'" Tvert said.

NU students can lose financial aid if they get caught  in possession 
of marijuana, while students busted for  underage drinking face 
milder repercussions, he said.

"You have to ask, does the punishment fit the crime?"  said McCormick 
senior Jen Darby, president for  NORML-SSDP. The event encouraged her 
to rally for  marijuana legalization, she said.

Although marijuana and alcohol are both intoxicants,  Tvert said 
alcohol is more dangerous. Alcohol is a  depressant, so consuming too 
much alcohol can shut down  the body, he said. However, because 
marijuana affects  the frontal lobe of the brain, which controls 
motor skills and creativity, marijuana alone cannot kill,  Tvert said.

Tvert also rebutted common arguments against marijuana.  Most people 
are resistant to the idea of legalizing  marijuana because they think 
its harmful health effects  outweigh the tax revenue it could raise, he said.

Alcohol causes 35,000 deaths each year, while marijuana  causes zero, 
Tvert said. THC, a chemical in marijuana,  prevents carcinogens from 
inhaled smoke from settling  in the lungs, whereas nicotine, an 
addictive chemical  in cigarettes, facilitates cancer growth, Tvert said.

"We should acknowledge that it's simply a substance  people enjoy 
using, and do use, and they shouldn't be  prosecuted as criminals," he said.

Tvert's organization helped make Denver the first major  U.S. city to 
legalize possession of marijuana.

Weinberg junior Anne Canter, who is from Denver, has  seen the issue 
in action and said she now plans to cite  statistics about the danger 
of alcohol when the topic  comes up with friends.

Weinberg sophomore Ethan Kaplan said he has a personal  interest in 
the issue. He suffers from insomnia  stemming from Tourette Syndrome, 
which medical  marijuana effectively treats, he said.

"I personally feel prohibiting marijuana is  ridiculous," Kaplan 
said. "People are so used to  hearing it's bad that it becomes like a dogma."

On Friday, the Illinois House of Representatives will  vote on a 
medical marijuana pilot program.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom