MARIJUANA BATTLE IGNITES IN AMHERST

When the Cannabis Reform Coalition (CRC) of the University of
Massachusetts in conjunction with the Citizens for a Sensible
Marijuana Policy of Amherst succeeded in getting the question of
marijuana legalization on the town ballot, it sparked controversy
among anti-drug organizations.

President Lea Palleria Cox of the Concerned Citizens for Drug
Prevention, Inc. is an active member in the anti-drug movement. Cox
has assisted in the closing of drug paraphernalia shops and the
organizations have also worked with passing anti-drug laws. But
today, sitting in her office in Hanover, her fight is in Amherst,
knowing that the college voters in a liberal town may be enough to
pass this non-binding proposal, which will be voted on March 28.

The question that the pro-marijuana groups have placed on the ballot
for the March vote is actually 24 years old. On May 12, 1976, an
Amherst town meeting denied Article 52, Part 1 requesting the
non-enforcement on the part of local police of marijuana possession
laws. However, by a vote of 99-84 in Part 2, the town of Amherst
voted that "our representatives in General Court be instructed to
support legislation removing from the books laws regulating or
proscribing the possession of marijuana for personal use,
co-habitation and private sexual conduct between consenting adults."

Although the ballot question is posed as a resurrection of Article 52,
Part 2, the question of cohabitation and private sexual conduct is no
longer a part of the question. The success of the CRC and those who
assisted in the petition drive has posed the controversy over the
facts of marijuana.

"We want it to send ripples, we want to get more people thinking about
the issue, we want people to start questioning all the arguments and
propaganda that they've heard and start looking at the facts," said
President Vernon Coffey.

Cox and the CRC stand at the opposite ends of the same fight: Cox is
armed with the federal government citing the federal register and a
wealth of anti-drug literature. On the other side are the CRC and its
supporters, which are on the side of a well-funded movement, citing
information from large organizations like National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

Organizations like NORML and CRC believe that marijuana should not be
a Schedule One drug, but this is a fact Cox stands firmly by.

"Marijuana ia a Schedule One drug, just like heroin," said Cox.
"Would the people of Amherst be willing to overlook heroin?"

Cox claims the pro-marijuana parties are convincing the youth that
marijuana is not harmful, and likens this effort to the tobacco
industry in the fifties. In a pamphlet, "The Medical Marijuana Scam"
by Dr. Janet Lapey, she explains, "It is of the interest of the
tobacco industry to similarly advertise tobacco cigarettes as
medicinal until the Federal Trade Commission put a stop to it..."
'Camels' were said to prevent fatigue and aid digestion, whereas
'Kools' were said to prevent the common cold."

The link between tobacco and marijuana continues. Marijuana smoke has
been proven to have more cancer-causing agents than tobacco. Coffey
defended, "The average marijuana smoker doesn't smoke a pack of 20
joints a day, that would be ridiculous."

The disagreement mainly lies in scientific validity. There is much
literature available from the pro-marijuana parties that offer
evidence considered valid. Cox, however, believes the scientific
research is not sound. "They want to give someone a marijuana
cigarette, send them home, call them later and ask them how they feel."

Whether or not the kinks are worked out on the scientific level, Cox
is also largely concerned with increased use because of the more
positive image the drug has been receiving in recent years. "When the
perception of harm is decreased, [drug] use increases and that's where
we are right now," said Cox. "I fear the impact it will have on young
children."

Coffey also believes that marijuana is not for young children but
said, "Children already use marijuana, if they're going to use it,
they're going to use it no matter if it's illegal." He thinks
marijuana should have age limits as alcohol and tobacco.

"They just want to be able to smoke pot and not get arrested," Cox
said.

Coffey agrees with this statement. "We're just saying people who do
use it shouldn't be locked up because of it," he said. However he
added that the organization does not promote social smoking and does
not claim that marijuana is a "wonder drug."