HYPOCRISY IN THE SYSTEM

Enforcement Of Residence Rules Should Be Reconsidered

Concerning to marijuana - the drug of choice for many students - the
current enforcement policies of SHS are at odds with the goals of the
letter

Recently, Irene Thompson, director of the University of Guelph's student
housing services (SHS), sent an email to all students in residence that
has fuelled my growing frustration with the hypocrisy of SHS.

This letter outlines and attempts to address the "troubling behaviour in
our residence system that has been sustained throughout the semester."
Specifically, it pinpoints areas that have been troublesome - alcohol
consumption, vandalism, violence and noise. The letter claims that there
"has been an increase in students ignoring noise regulations, an increase
in vandalism, fights, and other serious incidents."

Currently, it is a Level 3 offence to "possess, and/or use any illegal
drug substances in residence," with a consequence of fines ranging from
$25-150, a behaviour bond (reimbursed at year end if the student behaves
according to residence rules) between $100-250, but is generally a written
warning letter and mandatory attendance at a drug/alcohol seminar. It is
also a Level 3 offence for drug suspicion, which is defined as "specific
and direct observations regarding the physical surroundings or the
behaviour, speech, or odour of an individual."

One cannot deny the responsibility of SHS in enforcing the laws of the
land, as it is crucial for the safety of students. Concerning to marijuana
- - the drug of choice for many students - the current enforcement policies
of SHS are at odds with the goals of the letter, and the ultimate goal of
SHS - to reduce the amount of vandalism and violence in residence - quell
underage drinking and deal with the recurring issue of noise.

Upon further inquiry, I discovered that the SHS's official stance is that
marijuana is illegal and therefore subject to enforcement to the fullest
extent of the law. Under age drinking, as well as having open alcohol, are
also both considered illegal and punishable under provincial law. It is
also a Level 3 offence to consume alcohol if under the age of 19. However,
residence assistants are not told the age of students and this offence is
largely un-enforced. In fact, the only time it is ever brought up is if a
student is written up for an alcohol related incident; the fact that the
student is under aged is considered when arriving at a consequence. The
negative effects of alcohol within larger society are very well documented
- - violent behaviour, deaths from drunk driving, irresponsible and
embarrassing behaviour, bad decisions and of course, overcrowded emergency
rooms due to alcohol poisoning.

At the moment, it is the discretion of a police officer that decides
whether or not to enforce simple possession of a few grams of marijuana.
The same is true for underage drinking and drinking in public. The
"sanctions" set our by SHS for either situation are usually in the form of
a ticket, in the range of $100-$200. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests
that police officers are not concerned if someone is in possession of
small amounts of marijuana. This is supported by the fact that there are
many cases where police officers have searched a person and upon
discovering this small amount of marijuana, along with paraphernalia,
simply returned the items to the person in question.

Now of course there are instances where the officer did confiscate
paraphernalia and drugs, but that is not the point. In every situation of
open alcohol (as far as I know), the officer will first pour the beverage
out and confiscate any remaining alcohol, as well as check for
identification. If the person is underage, it is almost without doubt that
a ticket will be written. This is not necessarily the case with marijuana.

Back to the letter sent by SHS on the issue of violence, I can tell you
right now that I have never observed or heard about someone under the
influence of marijuana committing an act of violence. The same goes for
vandalism. Given the paranoia-inducing abilities of marijuana, it is known
that someone under the influence will not be strolling around breaking
things. Being under the influence also heightens sensitivity of the
senses, making loud music unbearable. Users of the substance will (for the
most part) be sitting in their rooms quietly playing video games.

Under age drinking is illegal - we all know that. Marijuana is also
illegal. However, in residence under age drinking is not enforced, while
marijuana is treated like the outside world treats cocaine - with an iron
fist, warranting an almost instantaneous call to the cops even for
miniscule amounts. If SHS wishes to quell the issues raised in its letter,
it should seriously review the drug enforcement policy, as it seems to
work against their outlined goals.