SENSIBLE DRUG POLICY ORG INCREASES VISIBILITY

Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), a Smith student
organization, will increase its presence on campus this fall in
attempts to educate the Smith community and protest America's war on
drugs.

"A lot of the misconceptions are that we're trying to change Smith
College drug policy - that's impossible," said Alex Fischer '05, vice
president and treasurer of SSDP.

"Most Americans don't know what their rights are," said SSDP President
Louise Barrett '05. In addition to the screening of the movie "Busted"
earlier this semester, which focused on citizens' fourth amendment
rights, SSDP hopes to hold a forum with both Public Safety and members
of the administration to "de-mystify Smith College drug policy," said
Barrett.

According to Barrett, the Resident Coordinator of her house last year
claimed she was required to call the police and bypass Public Safety
if she smelled marijuana. "It was a complete fallacy and scare
tactic," said Barrett.

Smith's SSDP is actually a chapter of a national organization formed
in response to a clause created by U.S. Congressman Mark Souder. The
"drug clause," as Barrett calls it, was added to the Higher Education
Act in 1998 and prohibits any student with a drug conviction - felony
or not - from receiving financial aid for a minimum of one year. The
organization will send six representatives from Smith to attend the
national convention next week.

"At least 70 percent of students who try to go to college and are
denied aid don't try [to attend college] again," said Barrett.
According to Barrett, five institutions have already created funds to
support students who do not receive aid because of the drug clause.
Hampshire College was the first in the nation to create such a fund.
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy plans to initiate a letter-writing
campaign to convince Smith's Board of Trustees to pass a resolution
stating they disagree with the law.

"People think drug laws only affect people who use drugs, but that's
entirely untrue; we all pay taxes for prison," said Fischer.

"Fifty percent of federal inmates are in on drug charges," said
Barrett. According to Barrett, African Americans make up 13 percent of
all drug users, but make up 50 percent of convicts in prison.

SSDP will bring author James Grey to Smith in mid-February to speak
about "why our drug laws have failed and what we can do about it,"
said Barrett. Grey, who is a judge in Orange County, California, will
also discuss "his reasons why drugs should be legalized," said Barrett.