POT POLICY: A CHRONIC CONTRADICTION

University of Washington (UW) lecturer and former police sergeant Dr.
Jonathan Wender will host a free lecture titled "The American Drug
Policy: The Great Contradiction," at 7 p.m. April 9 in the Viking
Union multipurpose room. The lecture is presented by Associated
Student Productions (ASP) Civil Controversy, the Legal Information
Center and the Drug Information Center.

Prior to becoming a lecturer at UW, Wender was a Seattle police
sergeant who was fired in 2005 for his outspoken opinions in favor of
the decriminalization of marijuana and reforms in the United States'
War on Drugs, such as mandatory minimum prison sentences.

Wender then partook in a litigation battle, settled out of court, and
was reinstated. His dual-role as an advocate and enforcer is what
caught the attention of Western student service coordinators and
greatly influenced the decision to invite him to campus to speak to
students about decriminalization of drugs.

Over the years, we've brought speakers on drug policy up to campus,
but it tended to be one side or the other; we hear from law
enforcement or we hear from academia, from people either pushing for
strong enforcement or pushing for strong decriminalization laws,"
Legal Information Center Coordinator Jake Lunden said. "What we don't
hear is someone who's held two different roles: someone who has
enforced and who has also taught on the subject."

University Police Sergeant David Garcia said although the most common
illegal drug Western students have been cited for is marijuana, he
doesn't believe that Western students abusing marijuana in high
numbers is unique compared to other colleges.

According to Western's annual crime statistics, there were a total of
72 arrests and 266 disciplinary referrals for marijuana and other
drug-related violations that occurred on campus from 2005 to 2007.

Do we write marijuana tickets? Sure, we do," Garcia said. "Is it a
major problem? No. It just comes with the territory. I don't think
there is more marijuana use here than at any other university."

In accordance to the Medical Use of Marijuana Act of 1998, which was
amended by the state legislature in 2007, the possession of a
60-day-or-less supply of medical marijuana is legal in Washington.
The act lists patients suffering from cancer, HIV, multiple
sclerosis, epilepsy, glaucoma or intractable pain as eligible to
receive treatment from medical marijuana in order to relieve symptoms
such as nausea and chronic pain.

Although the state has not yet adopted the less stringent marijuana
policies of its neighbors, Alaska and Oregon (both states
decriminalized possession of less than 1one ounce of marijuana in the
1970s), several bills have been introduced in the state legislature
over the years.

The most recent was Senate Bill 5615 in January 2009. If the bill had
passed, it would have reduced adult possession of 40 grams or less of
marijuana to a civil infraction with a fine that could be payable by
mail. The Senate Committee on Judiciary ruled in favor of the bill on
Feb. 18, but the bill was rejected by the rest of the Senate on March 25.

Proponents of SB 5615 argue the bill would help decrease the number
of arrests and disciplinary referrals for drug related violations.
Garcia said that freeing up jail cells is a strong motivating factor
for decriminalization.

I think that the intent is that if you decriminalize [marijuana] you
won't have so many people in the corrections facilities," Garcia said.

Charles Walker, ASP Civil Controversy assistant coordinator, said
decriminalizing marijuana is a controversial issue that has long been
debated, and one on which Wender is sure to offer fresh insight into
his lecture.

I think that especially with Western being a more liberal school,
students are very interested in the legalization and
decriminalization of marijuana," Walker said. "[Wender] is going to
be able to provide them with an academic answer from experience, and
I think that students will come away understanding a little bit more
of the intellectual side of the decriminalization of marijuana."

Garcia said he has often heard, from both sides, the arguments for
and against reducing the possession of marijuana from being a
misdemeanor to a civil infraction.

There are two schools of thought: some say that marijuana is a
gateway drug and that you're just going to want stronger drugs,"
Garcia said. "Others say that it is just for recreational abuse. Like
with alcohol, for example, not everybody wants to go out and take
heroin just because they can drink."

Brian Arcement, coordinator for the Drug and Information Center, said
students who do not support the decriminalization of marijuana, or
other aspects of Wender's platform, should not be dissuaded from
attending the lecture and listening to what Wender has to say.

Even if you don't necessarily agree with what he is saying, it's
giving you an idea of what another view point is," Arcement said.
"Personally, I find that perspective is one of the most important
things you can get in the college experience."

Arcement said Wender might not change minds about prohibition and
anti-drug enforcementam among the entire U.S. population, but at the
very least his forthright beliefs are bound to spark up a few
conversations among Western students.