MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION GROUP HAS FIRST MEETING FRIDAY

Two UF Freshmen Start NORML Chapter In Hopes Of Educating Public.

Two UF students are on a quest.

Josh Manning and Matt Jones want to educate others about the risks
associated with marijuana, which they said are exaggerated by mainstream
media. The two freshmen started a chapter of the National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws at UF and within two months had nearly 400
members.

The first meeting of the semester is being held Friday at 8 p.m. in Room
282 at the Reitz Union.

Both Manning and Jones said they are firm believers that the responsible
use of cannabis should not be considered a crime.

Weire not asking UF to attach its name to an illegal drug, Jones said.

Weire just asking for UF to recognize that there are so many students who
agree on issues like this.

Some students are concerned about UF funding a club that promotes
legalizing marijuana.

I donit think the university should be forced to fund diversity groups,i
said criminology junior Jared Smith. iThis is a tax-run university and I
don't think that the majority of Floridians would agree with the university
using tax dollars to support a group that advocates the use of marijuana.

Josh Tompkins, a linguistics junior, said he does not mind people using
marijuana, but does not want UF to associate with the group.

I don't mind the individual use of marijuana, Tompkins said. But it
shouldn't be funded at the university level or any level larger than the
individual.

Student Body President Nikki Fried said that student organizations may not
use Student Government money to promote their opinions. She added that they
can use the money to bring in speakers, promote the functions of the
groups, tell where to get information about the subject and where meetings
are held.

Student Government does fund numerous organizations that are politically
charged, Fried said. We do not use our personal opinions to make decisions
on whether something should be funded. None of the money may be used to
distribute information about the political issue.

NORML is a nationwide lobbying organization that has existed for more than
30 years and is the forerunner in the marijuana legalization movement.

According to the UF Health Center Web site, 80 percent of UF students did
not smoke marijuana in the past 30 days, yet out of on-campus narcotic
arrests, the majority are for marijuana.

Ninety to 95 percent of narcotic arrests on campus are of marijuana, Joe
Sharkey, University Police Department spokesman said.

Last semester, Accent brought the editor of High Times magazine and a
20-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Agency to debate the legalizing of
marijuana.

David Kaye, vice chairman of Accent and a senior majoring in political
science, said that there is obviously a great interest in this topic and
that he is in full support of NORML.

Also, starting this semester, NORML is planning on showing documentaries on
marijuana use in the Reitz Union theatre.