In response to the Aug. 5 column, "Legalizing marijuana would help California's deficit," the drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2008, there were 847,863 marijuana arrests in the U.S., almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources prosecuting Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of use. [continues 141 words]
We live in a representative democracy. We entrust our elected officials to make legislative decisions on our behalf that hopefully represents our views and best interests. However, there are certainly some hot-button issues that I would like to have a direct vote on, which is why I find ballot initiatives so awesome. Almost half of the states in this country -- including Pennsylvania -- support their own form of direct democracy in the form of ballot initiatives, but no state does this more famously than California. [continues 694 words]
Protesters rallying in Harrisburg Monday for the legalization of medicinal marijuana have a great goal in mind, even if their approach is slightly misguided Twelve states have already passed bills legalizing it, and Pennsylvania would be smart to add itself to that list. Marijuana can be an effective substitute for habit-forming painkillers with horrific side effects. As it stands, pharmaceutical companies and the groups that lobby for them have way too much power in this country. While this makes the legalization of marijuana a bit more difficult, it's also more incentive. [continues 265 words]
The Student Government Association (SGA) will soon have the opportunity to investigate new initiatives as it swears in Ngozi Mbawuike as its next president in early April. If events continue as they have since we left for spring break, the SGA will continue the consideration of a motion that seeks to have the University of Massachusetts endowment become divested from companies that provide war material for the Israel Defense Forces. As students, this brings us to the point where we need to consider another timely divestment initiative. It is imperative that we urgently divest from the purchase of illegal drugs. [continues 759 words]
This is a response to "Legalizing marijuana can help economy." Even though both writers make some plausible arguments for legalization, I would like to refute some of their claims. Both articles argue that marijuana is a harmless substance. Mr. White goes as far as stating that: "[Marijuana] has never killed a single person." Perhaps I should point out that THC, the main ingredient in marijuana, is both addictive and harmful. A simple examination of its pathway in the body can confirm this principle: After its consumption, THC doesn't reach the brain significantly, but a large amount is stored in the fat tissues and is gradually secreted into the blood over the course of several weeks. As a result of this property, THC has a more damaging effect than alcohol, which is excreted quickly from the body due to its water-solubility characteristic. There have also been reports that marijuana contains around 60 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco, increasing the risk of emphysema as well as various forms of cancer. [continues 131 words]
Another beneficial component of re-legalizing cannabis (marijuana) that doesn't get mentioned in Margaret Miceli's March 16 column "Legalizing marijuana can help economy" is that it will lower hard drug addiction rates. Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) will have to stop brainwashing youth into believing lies, half-truths and propaganda concerning cannabis, which creates grave future problems. How many citizens try cannabis and realize it's not nearly as harmful as taught in DARE-type government environments? Then they think other substances must not be so bad either, only to become addicted to deadly drugs. [continues 112 words]
Welcome back, Penn Staters. While you were gone, the locals crawled out of their holes for one student-free week of revelry, the world discovered we had a basketball team, and -- news flash -- we're still in a recession. As the recession continues to stick around, it seems clear that we need some creative ways to raise revenue in failing states. One California assemblyman should be applauded for an innovative, forward-thinking way to raise money for the state government. The legislator introduced a bill last month that would legalize marijuana (only in California, sadly) and allow the state to regulate and tax its sale. The federal government gave as close to a stamp of approval as it ever does, with the U.S. attorney general announcing that states should be able to make their own rules for medical marijuana, and that federal raids on pot dispensaries in California, common under the past administration, would stop. [continues 602 words]
Penn State researchers have teamed up to tackle the problem of juvenile crime across the state by using new methods to solve an old problem. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) -- which includes Brian Bumbarger, project director and research associate for Penn State's Prevention Research Center, and Mark Greenberg, the center's director -- invested $60 million to fund crime prevention programs that match the needs of specific communities across the state. "There are a variety of things that put children and families at risk, and because there are different causes, there have to be a variety of approaches as to how we prevent them," Bumbarger said. [continues 291 words]
In late October, Wanda Parent found a peculiar essay that her son, Penn State student Justin Parent, had written for an English class last spring. It detailed how an errant friend had introduced the 19-year-old to heroin, how he became addicted and what he did to beat his dependency. On it, a teacher wrote, "Do your parents know?" Wanda had just been looking through college papers to give to Justin's younger brother as he began his application process. The essay was the first she had known of her son's struggles with heroin. [continues 446 words]
The number of students living in on-campus housing exceeds the number of Americans in prisons for the first time ever, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report. While the number of inmates has reached an all-time high of two million people, nearly 300,000 more are living on a college campus, according to the September report. However, the apparently good news has another side: There are three times as many black people living in prison cells than in dorms. [continues 649 words]
A recent study brought some very disturbing information to light: Almost half of college students nationwide, about 3.8 million people, binge drink or abuse substances. Why is this fact so disturbing? Just take a look through the Collegian archives. Search for the word "drugs" and you come up with many stories about drug abuse that has affected many people. Someone wound up dead from the Andrew Rogers incident -- they were doing cocaine that day. On April 17 a student was arrested for possessing $15,000 worth of marijuana -- about three pounds. [continues 320 words]
Regarding the March 29 editorial ("Case important step for students' rights"), alcohol kills more people each year than all illegal drugs combined. Prescription overdose deaths are now second on the list of causes of death from unintentional injury -- only motor-vehicle crashes is higher. Television is filled with sophisticated pro-drug messages paid for by alcohol and pharmaceutical companies. The Bush Administration doesn't have a problem with corporate drug pushers. But hoist a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner at an off-campus high school rally in Alaska, and they will fight you all the way to the Supreme Court. It is not clear how this nonsensical phrase somehow merits limiting free speech. Culture warriors in the White House seem to think the war on pot is more important than the Constitution. It doesn't stop there. By raiding voter-approved medical marijuana providers in California, the very same Bush Administration that claims illicit drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS patients into the hands of street dealers. Apparently, marijuana prohibition is more important than protecting the country from terrorism. Robert Sharpe Policy analyst for the Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
Case Important Step For Students' Rights A practical joke by one student in Alaska could forever affect the way public schools are allowed to suppress students' freedom of speech. Last week the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case Morse v. Frederick, a student free speech case, where then 18-year-old Joseph Frederick was suspended by his high school principal for unfurling a 14-foot banner displaying the words "Bong hits 4 Jesus" during an out-of-school function. This case could have a huge impact on our nation's public school system for a few reasons. According to CNN.com, at issue is "whether Frederick's free-speech rights were violated and the discretion schools should be allowed to limit messages that appear to advocate illegal drug use." [continues 371 words]
Jay Bundy says he's fed up with being called the "pothead president." "It's not like we're saying, 'free buds for everyone,' or 'we're gonna hand out nuggets,' " Chris Brink, Bundy's vice presidential candidate, said. "No. It's not like that." Brink and Bundy are running on the presidential ticket for the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) elections that will be held this Wednesday. President of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Bundy said the administration should accept his platform regardless of his advocacy for the legalization of an illegal substance. Felicia McGinty, associate vice president for student engagement, said if elected she would work with Bundy in all situations, including making positive life decisions. [continues 402 words]
Suspect Arrested On Charges Of Theft, Not Marijuana Possession Investigators came close to being $3,200 in debt in official county funds when a controlled drug buy this weekend did not go as planned. [name and address deleted] nearly made off with the money after he promised a pound of marijuana to a confidential police informant but never came back with the drugs. Undercover investigators recovered the money about an hour and a half after the controlled buy failed. [name deleted] became known by undercover cops and state police Troop G Vice Unit from a confidential informant. The informant contacted [name deleted] on Wednesday and met him at an apartment in [location deleted] [continues 433 words]
Pro-medicinal marijuana groups are cheering over the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that physicians can discuss the treatment option of medicinal marijuana with their patients without risking prosecution. "The Supreme Court's decision not to take the case is probably the most significant court action on the medical marijuana front in two decades," said Robert Kampia, co-founder and executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), a lobbying group whose goal is to replace marijuana prohibition with a regulated system. [continues 584 words]
In response to "Police are enforcing commonly broken laws" (April 22 letter), I was really moved by your commentary on the state of affairs here at Penn State. As you said, the students who are most likely to commit a rape are undoubtedly the ones that have been drinking or "harmlessly smoking a joint." Particularly those pot smokers. After all, a whopping 4 percent of rapes are committed by individuals under the influence of illicit drugs and 30 percent of rapes involve alcohol (according to Alcohol and Crime Report, Bureau of Justice, 1998). The police here are certainly not doing their jobs. Marijuana is illegal, as is underage drinking. For that matter, sodomy is also illegal, but how many people get arrested for that? [continues 173 words]
Here's a question for the writer of the letter "Police should focus on serious violations" (April 21): What type of student is most likely to commit a rape? Probably the one who has been drinking or "harmlessly smoking a joint." I am by no means suggesting that all or even a majority of students who engage in these activities will definitely commit more serious violations, but statistically alcohol and drug abuse (yes, even marijuana) are often a factor in sexual assault cases, not to mention the riots that have led to discussion of installing cameras downtown. [continues 128 words]
Which two of the following do not belong: A rapist, a thief, a traffic violator, a marijuana smoker and a college student who has been drinking? Answer: the rapist and the thief. What do all the others have in common? The rest all are the focus of police. It seems with the recent rape in downtown State College and the increasing amount of thefts, police would have found the time to investigate further into these crimes. Numerous rape cases are reported each semester without further investigation, even with substantial leads. [continues 101 words]
If the federal government seriously wanted to reduce teenage marijuana use, it would do the one and only thing that would make marijuana less readily available to young people, i.e. it would regulate the sale of marijuana. Contrary to Rebecca Shaver's assertion that alcohol is more readily available than marijuana ("Students debate effectiveness of anti-pot ads," March 19 article), according to a recent study conducted by Columbia University (and confirming the survey data collected by the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse), teens find marijuana easier to obtain than alcohol. [continues 120 words]
The jury is still out on the effectiveness of a series of anti-marijuana ads launched by the federal government in January. One such commercial portrays a boy who molests a girl at a party after they have both been smoking marijuana. Another depicts high teens at a drive-thru window who end up running over a child riding a bike. One of the most heavily-rotated commercials depicts two teen boys smoking marijuana and playing with a gun that they think is unloaded. One of the boys ends up shooting his friend. John Forsyth (freshman-communications) said he and his friends think the commercials are ineffective and unrealistic because they show situations that seem to be a result of drinking rather than smoking marijuana. [continues 433 words]
Two bills introduced to amend Pennsylvania's new ecstasy law were voted out of the House Judiciary Committee last week in order to be reviewed by the full House to eventually amend the law. Rep. Doug Reichley, R-Lehigh County, sponsor of the bills, said one is designed to improve the law by correcting an error in the drug's chemical description. The other will cover possible chemicals that can be used in the drug's manufacture that are not included in the current law. [continues 284 words]
