SGA VOTE ENDORSES MARIJUANA REFORM

SGA showed its green side when it endorsed two house resolutions aimed
at reforming national marijuana policies.

The vote took place June 5, less than four months after the student
population voted in favor of making marijuana and alcohol violations
the same in the Golden Rule.

Sen. Brendon Rivard, of the College of Arts and Humanities, drafted
Resolution 40-20.

The resolution is intended two resolutions that "decriminalize
marijuana for 100 grams or less for personal use and not-for-profit
transfer between adults."

The resolution will attempt "to recognize states that have legalized
[medicinal] marijuana," Rivard said.

Because the bill passed, Rivard said it was as if 48,000 were voting
for reformation; however, a close margin could also imply that almost
half of the student body - or at least SGA - would not agree with 40-20.

According to a news release by Rivard, "UCF endorses H.R. 5842, the
'Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act,' and H.R. 5843, the 'Act to
Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by
Responsible Adults."'

The release also states: "This endorsement follows the decision of the
students in February demanding equalized penalties for marijuana and
alcohol on campus."

Rivard had several reasons for why he believed legalization should be
reconsidered, including topics such as its risk-factor compared to
other drugs, its impact on the economy, and its ability to be used as
an aid for patients in pain.

"Substances that are more dangerous are currently legal, like
alcohol," Rivard said. "Even Aspirin is more dangerous. More people
have overdosed from Aspirin in one year than people overdosed from
marijuana in the history of medicine."

Rivard expressed his reasoning by citing some statistics related to
the current War on Drugs. He said that the United States spends $600
per second on the War on Drugs, arresting non-violent citizens.

"Drug use is up, drug availability is up, drug prices are down, drug
potency is up. So I don't see why a regulated marijuana market would
not benefit the United States when it's the No. 1 cash crop in quite a
few states, even though it's illicit, which shows the quantity of its
profit margin," Rivard said.

Rivard mentioned that the drug market is a market like any other,
driven by supply and demand. He went on to say that in a black market,
dealers don't check IDs, they push other drugs onto their clients and
don't guarantee safety of their product.

Rivard said that in a regulated market, the government would be in
charge of making sure that the plants being circulated are clean,
purchased and used by adults. They would also be in more control of
the drug's flow in and out of the country.

Rivard, along with others, believe that the effects of cannabis have a
relevant part to play in the medical world for patients who are
afflicted with variety of painful conditions.

"Who is any politician to get between a doctor and his or her
patient?" Rivard asked. "If the doctor feels that marijuana is the
best medicine for a patient, then who is anybody to get between that?"

With 10 people voting against the resolution, not all senators were in
favor. Sen. Will Lusk of the College of Sciences was one of those who
voted nay.

"I felt that it was something that SGA really shouldn't get involved
with," Lusk said. "I feel that a student government should be involved
with lowering tuition prices for students; we should be getting more
classrooms for students; we should be providing more services that
will benefit the entire student body.

"I feel that promoting marijuana reform should be left to registered
student organizations like NORML [National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws]. NORML has done an outstanding job promoting and
advertising marijuana reform; that's not our job here as SGA."

Lusk continued. "Our student government should be focused more on
policies that affect UCF and not national policies ... We have more
important things to worry about here: we have money to give out to
students, we have to take care of students' rights and concerns."

Although Lusk voted against the resolution, he is not completely
opposed to the marijuana laws. "If you want to reform the marijuana
laws, contact your state senator, not your SGA senator," he said.

Sen. Chris Cates of engineering and computer science also voted
against the resolution.

"Issues or policies that directly affect the students are what we're
here to deal with," Cates said. "We're not necessarily here for
external issues ... that don't directly influence the students at UCF."