SPEAKER DESIRES LEGAL POT

Founder Of Texas Chapter Of NORML Says Marijuana Should Be Legal.

"I think that marijuana should be legalized. Why? Because I smoke pot, and
I am not ashamed to say it. It's America's dirty little secret .... But I
like to get high. I like to smoke pot."

While people all over the nation battle for the legalization of marijuana,
students at Clemson chose to spread the cause by inviting Rick Day, the
founder of the Texas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws (NORML), to speak about benefits of legalizing the drug.
Day, an Air Force veteran with a degree in commercial music, currently
works as the State Coordinator and Lobbyist for Georgia NORML.

Brought to Clemson by Clemson NORML, Day referred to himself as a "seed
planter of freedom."

Day cited that one of the main arguments for the legalization of marijuana
is that there are varying laws from state to state, each having differing
penalties. He indicated that South Carolina has one of the most lenient
small possession laws in the nation, with offenders receiving only a
$100-$200 civil fine for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana.

Confronting the issue of the addictive properties of marijuana, Day
commented, "Riding my motorcycle is addictive. Adults should be free to do
whatever they want. Consumption falls within that realm."

Day believes that marijuana should be legalized and monitored by the U.S.
government, who would collect taxes on the commodity. As a result, he
believes that marijuana plants should be grown and cut more regularly to
ensure maximum potency.

"If it's more potent, you smoke less. Better strains of marijuana mean that
somebody took the time to care for the plants," he explained.

He also noted that the U.S. government would save money by not having to
enforce marijuana laws or control the black market.

Day rallied students at the University and encouraged them that his fight
for the legalization of marijuana was not going unnoticed.

"We are making progress when (lawmakers) stop laughing at us and begin to
fight us," he said. "But 70 percent of the voting population is between the
ages of 18 and 40 years old. You just don't give a damn. If more young
people got involved, got active, got vocal ... you could make a difference."

Because Day speaks often about his case for marijuana, he keeps a "living
document" of reasons why pot should be legalized, adding to it after every
presentation that he makes. The reasons range from the more serious --
legalization for medicinal purposes -- to the comical -- food tastes better
high.

Day laughingly noted, "If (the marijuana) is homegrown, it's even patriotic!"

Sophomore Gil Tisdale said, "I think that marijuana should be legalized
because it has beneficial medicinal purposes for people who are suffering
from cancer. It makes a hard time in their lives just a little easier."

Many, of course, disagree with the position taken by Day and others who
want marijuana legalized. Sophomore Anne Stanton said, "The legalization of
marijuana makes it seem acceptable for kids to go out and get high."