NORML PLANS EDUCATION MONTH

It's not just about the pot, according to the local chapter of a marijuana
legalization club.

Josh Manning, the president of the UF chapter of the National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, is planning several events for the month
to help educate the public about marijuana.

Today, Kris Krane, NORML's national affiliate director and chapter
coordinator, will speak at 7 p.m. in Turlington, Room L007.

The organization also has planned to rally on Turlington on Thursday. "It's
just a speak out that we are doing in coordination with Students for
Sensible Drug Policies, focusing on the Higher Education Act and medical
marijuana," Manning said.

The Education Act denies grants, loans and work assistance to anyone
convicted of a drug offense, including possession of marijuana.

The organization also will host one of the seven people in the United States
who receives legal marijuana from the government, Irv Rosenfeld, April 11 at
7 p.m. in Turlington, Room L007.

Rosenfeld, who is given the drug under the Compassionate Investigational New
Drug program, suffers from a rare bone disorder called Multiple Congenital
Cartilaginous Exostosis. This condition causes tumors, benign and malignant,
to form at the end of his legs or arms that cause pain, swelling and other
complications.

Members also will attend a national conference in San Francisco later this
month that will include guest speakers, workshops, a silent auction to
benefit NORML and an awards ceremony.

"So much was happening on the national level that I just wanted to do
anything that I could to help fuel the cause," Manning said.

On April 20, a date synonymous with marijuana use, participants at the
conference will attend several educational workshops on different aspects of
running a campus chapter.

"I know people who will be smoking out on 4-20 because they aren't in school
and don't have a job," said Sarah Fields, a public relations sophomore.

The group has received $3,000 in funding from Student Government and is
using the money to bring guest speakers and pay for half of the national
conference trip for the four members attending.

NORML has had a lot of support in Gainesville with more than 120 people
attending its meetings and more than 650 names on its e-mail list, Manning
said.

"Our main focus is to help raise awareness and start an open dialogue on the
issue," he added.