DRUG ACTIVISTS INVADE CAMPUS

University Hosts Conference Of Students Fighting Strict Drug Laws

WASHINGTON - For one morning, Katie M-Burke ditched her regular
tie-dyed T-shirt and jeans for a business suit so she could storm
Capitol Hill with dozens of her peers, demanding an end to the drug
war.

The University of Rhode Island freshman took time off from classes and
traveled to Washington for the chance to lobby legislators about the
harms of many anti-narcotic laws.

She is just one of hundreds of student activists from across the
nation who are trying to influence national drug policy while at this
university for the annual Students for Sensible Drug Policy conference
this weekend.

The conference kicked off yesterday with a day of lobbying on Capitol
Hill. Students converged on various congressional offices, some of
whom with no lobbying experience, relying solely on their ideas to
convince some of the country's most important politicians.

SSDP members said they have constantly faced stereotypes that the
group is just active drug users who want to promote a radical agenda.
In fact, some group members said they are hesitant to use drugs.

"People think if you are in SSDP, all you care about is legalization
and smoking pot, but that's not the issue," said University of Rhode
Island sophomore Noel Marandola. Marandola said her main issue is the
harm that many bills cause drug users.

The lobbying session is an example of SSDP's preference to influence
policy-makers rather than hold rallies or demonstrations.

While there is no consensus among group members on what the perfect
drug policy would be, most agreed pushing SSDP's major campaigns would
be the best way to make an impact.

"To each their own when it comes to a sensible drug policy," said
Katie Amaral, a group member from Rhode Island. "The government should
not have the right to tell me what, in the privacy of my own home,
what I can or cannot put in my body."

Many students lobbied for a bill that would ban the provision in the
Higher Education Act that prevents students with drug convictions from
receiving federal financial aid. Other initiatives call for extra drug
education and youth guidance.

While these programs may not lead toward any major changes in drug
laws, group members stressed that tackling less widely-known bills may
be the initial step to pushing toward an end to the drug war-
something they are desperately fighting for.

"It takes little baby steps," Amaral said. "You aren't going to get
there with leaps and bounds."