ALL HAIL: POT SMOKERS NEED A SECOND CHANCE

We all deserve a second chance. It sounds simple enough, at least
until you read the fine print.

Case in point: Daniel Snay, a 56-year-old father of five and Uxbridge
resident dropped $20 for a "Billion Dollar Blockbuster" scratch
ticket. Snay scratched and won, earning a cool $10 million to be paid
in installments during the next 20 years. The catch? Between 1974 and
1987, Snay was convicted six times for indecent assault and battery;
twice the victims were younger than 14.

Snay won the lottery, there's no denying that, and there's a solid
chance that much of the winnings will go towards civil suits from his
former victims. But it brings to light a shocking double standard.
Had Snay once been arrested for selling marijuana, a class D
substance, his winning ticket would have been null and void.

Sure, one could argue that the level three sex offender (a rank saved
for those considered most dangerous and likely to commit another
offense) has paid his dues, but compare that to your average college
student busted for pot. Did that dime-bag put anyone in therapy for
decades? End a childhood? Ruin a life?

I spoke with Amaura Kemmerer, a member of Northeastern's OnTap
research program that works one-on-one with students, on the subject
of marijuana in preparation for an assignment I'd been working on. If
a student is caught dealing pot, they invariably find themselves in
her office for a meeting or two. She said the kids she speaks with
aren't little Tony or Tammy Montanas; they're dealing to smoke for
free, not to build an empire.

Currently, possession of half an ounce of marijuana is considered a
criminal offense in Massachusetts, punishable by up to six months in
jail and a $500 fine. And let's not forget the threat of academic
probation or expulsion from school faced by many students who are put
into this rather uncomfortable position.

Despite the lower health risks associated with pot smoking compared
to alcohol abuse and the Herculean (or maybe I could say Bob
Marley-ian?) amount of marijuana needed to overdose, Northeastern's
policy on smoking pot is still incredibly harsh when compared to
punishment for drinking violations.

Enter Senate Bill 1151, a proposal that would reduce the penalty for
possession to a $250 civil fine with no possibility of jail time.
Sure, it seems the times they are a-changing, but will Northeastern's
drug policy change with it?

In a recent study cited in my meeting with OnTap, 20 percent of
Northeastern students admitted to smoking marijuana in the past 30
days, and a little more than 50 percent of the students confirmed
they had torched a bowl of the devil's lettuce at least once in their lives.

Look around you. Does one out of every five of your classmates,
roommates and even Resident Assistants deserve potential expulsion
for a hobby that's only dangerous if you happen to be a bag of Sun Chips?