IS THE CU POTHEAD DEAD?

Should the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana be legalized
in the state of Colorado? Proponents of Colorado Amendment 44 say
"yes." They believe marijuana should carry a similar relationship to
the law that alcohol does, in part because they believe marijuana is
less harmful than alcohol.

Opponents of Amendment 44 disagree, and worry that legalizing
possession of marijuana would make pot more accessible for those under
the age of 21.

But come Nov. 7, it will be up to voters on the issue that has already
been given a big "nay" by members of the University of Colorado
Intercampus Student Forum (ICSF).

A body composed of student government representatives from each of the
University of Colorado's three statewide campuses, the ICSF
unanimously drafted an anti-Amendment 44 resolution during an Oct. 16
meeting, and will be addressing the public Thursday, Nov. 2 at 10 a.m.
on the Auraria campus to demonstrate their stance.

"[The ICSF's] primary interest is fostering excellence in the academic
and social environment at the University of Colorado, and we do not
feel the passage of Amendment 44 would be compatible with that in any
way," said ICSF member Colin Rose, vice president of the student
government Association for the University of Colorado at Denver.
"Therefore, we feel compelled to voice our opposition by way of this
resolution."

Rose said that because other statewide constitutional issues have had
tangible effects on students, such as the ability to set tuition
rates, it is important the student government stand united against
Amendment 44.

"What we know is that state law has an impact on students, and an
impact on our campuses," said Rose. "Any statewide initiative will
have an impact on students, so we drafted this resolution because we
realized this amendment would have impacts on the prestige of the
flagship university in the state of Colorado."

For Mason Tvert, supporter of Amendment 44 and representative for the
Alcohol-MJ Equalization Initiative, the anti-amendment resolution is
"disgusting."

Tvert said that a majority of students, 68 percent of CU's student
body, voted in favor of the non-profit Safer Alternative for Enjoyable
Recreation's (SAFER) initiative that promotes marijuana as a safer
alternative to alcohol.

SAFER's supporters say marijuana is far less addictive than other
narcotics and alcohol, and that is safer for long-term use.

"Simply said, [that percentage of students] didn't think that the
penalties for marijuana should be any greater than the penalties for
alcoholSand it's unfortunate to see student representatives acting in
direct opposition to their student body," said Tvert during an
interview with the Colorado Daily Tuesday. "Right now our policies are
pushing students and adults to drink, and I don't think it makes sense
to punish those adults who make the rational, safer choice to use
marijuana instead of alcohol."

Tvert added that despite alcohol-related deaths at both CU-Boulder and
Colorado State University in 2004, he doesn't believe the ICSF has
done anything to discourage alcohol-abuse on campus.

"I know CU-Boulder has been marred recently by alcohol-related
incidentsSand I don't see the student government doing anything to
stand up for the student body that voted to address that alcohol
problem [by supporting SAFER],"said Tvert. "This appears to be a
select group of student body representatives who believe they can sway
opinions on this election."

On the other hand, David Evans, executive director of the Drug Free
School's Coalition of Colorado, said the ICSF's resolution points to
studies that show the majority of young adults are actually against
drug use.

"Most studies put marijuana use somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of
high school and college aged young adults," said Evans. "Because the
people that have been proposing Amendment 44 have been targeting
college kids I think it's great [the ICSF] is speaking out against
it."

While proponents of Amendment 44 argue pot is safer than alcohol,
Evans said marijuana is just as harmful.

"There is a clear correlation between marijuana use and
schizophrenia," said Evans, citing a study conducted by Patrick
Skosnik of Indiana University that was printed in the American Journal
of Psychiatry.

Yet, despite the fact that proponents of Amendment 44 are targeting
college students to support their initiative, Evans said he remains
confident CU students will make the right choice.

"I think that [the university students] understand the issue," said
Evans. "Kids that are smoking pot aren't going to do well in school,
and [people] don't associate marijuana with academic
excellence."

Rose agreed, adding he feels the ICSF's anti-Amendment 44 stance
echoes the beliefs held by the majority of the state universities'
student body.

"I don't know what [percentage of] students are against and what are
for [Amendment 44], but I do know the leadership for all the
campusesSis unanimously supporting the resolution, and I think that
speaks to the voice of the student body as a whole," said Rose.