NEW UI CHAPTER OF NORML SEEKS MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

There's a new club at the University of Iowa - a chapter of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana laws.

The group was created at Iowa NORML's annual meeting Saturday at the Iowa
City Public Library.

Ten people showed up for Saturday's meeting, which was the Davenport- based
group's first in Iowa City.

"I wished we had more numbers, but I thought the meeting was productive,"
said James Getman, director of Iowa NORML, which has about 50 members
statewide.

A visit by Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, on lobbying techniques for the
use of medical marijuana was especially helpful, he said.

Not all of those who attended were interested in smoking marijuana or
belonged to the chapter.

"I don't use marijuana," said Deanna Olsen, a nursing assistant at the
University of Iowa Hospitals. "I'm here to support the use of medical
marijuana."

As a student, Olsen has been involved with the group Students for George W.
Bush at UI and took a similar role in the days preceding the NORML meeting.

"Some of the younger people are here because of me," she said. "I hung up
posters around campus all week."

Olsen said members of UI Student Government were working to create a
similar group called Students for Responsible Drug Policy.

Ed Noyes, the Libertarian candidate for state attorney general, also talked
at the meeting. The Jefferson County lawyer spoke out against the
incarceration of Iowans for marijuana drug offenses.

"Who pays to incarcerate them? We do," Noyes said. "If someone believes
there is a real drug problem in America, they need to put their money into
rehabilitation."

He protested what he called hypocrisy between presidential candidates and
the use of marijuana.

"Presidential candidates in the last two campaigns admitted to smoking
marijuana," Noyes said. "But they expect people to be incarcerated and
their lives ruined for smoking it."