Pubdate: Thu, 23 Jan 2014
Source: Ubyssey (CN BC Edu)
Copyright: 2014 Ubyssey
Contact:  http://www.ubyssey.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/706
Author: Will McDonald

HEMPOLOGY 101 SUB BOOKING PRIVILEGES SUSPENDED

The AMS has suspended Hempology 101′s SUB booking privileges in
response to a vaporizer session they hosted on Jan. 10.

The Student Administrative Commission (SAC) issued the punishment
after talking to the club at a meeting on Monday.

"Running a club, especially a newer club, can be a slightly daunting
process, and everyone makes mistakes," said SAC vice-chair Nina Scott.
"This was an unfortunate one. We're happy to work more closely with
them ... and help them make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

The club's booking privileges have been suspended until the end of
April.

"It's not like we're kicked out of the SUB entirely, just that we
essentially are denied privacy for a semester," said Hempology 101
treasurer Corbin Manson.

The club will still be able to host events outside the
SUB.

"What they do off campus on their own time with their own financial
means in their own group is completely up to them. We have absolutely
no interest in silencing them or taking any extreme punitive action,"
said Scott.

Manson said that although the club's booking privileges are suspended,
the AMS will still let them host the hemp convention they have planned
for March.

"We were able to negotiate a room for out cannabis convention in
March, which is the most important event of the year, so I'm really
happy that they still are going to be giving us space for the big
convention," said Manson.

Scott said SAC plans to work with Hempology 101 to help them boost
their image on campus, and that neither campus security nor the RCMP
are seeking any legal action against them.

"We absolutely don't want to take away their right to free speech.
Whatever they want to say is fine by us, and we want to help make sure
they get their message across and they're portrayed in the light they
want to be," said Scott.

Manson said SAC encouraged his club to set up tables in the SUB to
help spread their message about cannabis education.

"A table is a great way to do education and outreach because it's so
visible," Manson said. "We want to do things centred around hemp and
cannabis education and also just wellness in general.

"We've got a meeting coming up on Friday and we'll be able to hash out
more concrete plans as to how we want to approach tabling."

Manson said the club is working to organize their March conference and
to improve their image after the vaporizer session.

"We're going to be lying low for a little bit now that all of this has
played out. We're going to be looking at how we can move forward. As a
club, we still have some repurposing, maybe, that we need to be doing
before we can have anything concrete happen."  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D