STUDENTS AIM FOR LESS HARSH POT LAWS

A 20 year-old student may face higher consequences for possessing a
joint than being drunk in the street.

Erin Dame, president of the Purdue chapter of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the group has
been working since last semester on an initiative to decriminalize
marijuana and make it the lowest priority for police who have
jurisdiction on Purdue's campus.

"Obviously, our long-term goal is the legalization of marijuana, but
we realize that's not going to happen unless we take baby steps,"
said the senior in the College of Liberal Arts. "We think
(decriminalization) would be a really good thing for us."

Dame said the group is doing research on the topic and is finding out
what people on other campuses are doing.

"Our main goal is to reach out and get support from the community,"
she said. "We have to emphasize grassroots efforts, for NORML to get
the community involved. We hope to educate people about the medicinal
uses; hopefully, people will be able to relate and will be more open
to seeing the other side of things."

Although NORML pushes for the legalization for marijuana, Dame and
many of her peers feel there should be restrictions on it.

"Just like everything else, you need to be responsible. If they ever
legalize marijuana, whether they make the legal age 18 or 21, it's
not for me to decide, but I do agree there should be a legal age
limit," she said.

Dame said the consequences for possession of marijuana are much
harsher in Indiana than in surrounding states because two surrounding
states are decriminalized.

"If you get caught with possession in Chicago, you just get a
ticket," she said. "It doesn't look the same on your record."

She also pointed out that no one has died from smoking marijuana.

"It has 39 medicinal uses," she said. "There is a summary of research
they've done on NORML.org."

Dame is confident that if marijuana is not decriminalized in Indiana
in the next five years, it will definitely happen within the next 10.

Marty Green, a clinical social worker and addiction specialist for
Counseling and Psychological Services, said this argument has been
going on for a long time and that there are many historical and
political reasons for the debate.

"This issue is very complicated," Green said. "There are some
arguments that deserve discussion. For example, the equity of the
consequences (for marijuana usage and underage drinking); are they
fair and consistent and is there research? Like anything else, it's
about who is making the largest argument."

Green said his biggest concern as an addiction specialist is that the
majority of the people who are making a strong push for
decriminalization are adolescents ages 15 to 20.

"In adolescence, marijuana has a tremendous effect on brain
development," he said. "Because the heaviest, most committed and
frequent use is before age 20, we have to be concerned about the
wellness, health and safety of adolescent users."

Green also mentioned concern about "access to excess due to America's
supersize mentality," or the use of more and stronger drugs to
satisfy the American notion that larger quantities are better.

"Often times, people will mix other drugs with marijuana like PCP,
cocaine, heroin, as well as other fillers that get into marijuana;
those are big issues. Like moonshine, you never knew what was in the
concoction," he said.

Green believes the decriminalization of marijuana will strongly
depend on how it is argued.

"It's very feasible we're going to see more areas trying it ... there
are so many areas where it's tied to," he said. "The important thing
is, we need to take another look at the way we're dealing with
substances across the table and not only specific substances. Drugs
are an embedded part of our culture and society; let's not highlight
certain drugs, but take a look at the issue as a whole and find out
where consistencies and inconsistencies lie."