MARIJUANA ROLLS ONTO ASUW BALLOT

For those who have not yet voted in this year's ASUW election, one
ballot question may come as a surprise.

Question on the ballot:

Do you agree that University of Washington policies for the use and
possession of marijuana should be NO greater than those imposed for
the use and possession of alcohol?

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws/Students
for a Sensible Drug Policy (NORML/SSDP), which recently became a
Registered Student Organization, has begun its campaign to educate
students and faculty. Group members said they hope to spark campus
dialogue regarding the use and possession of marijuana by asking
students to answer a yes-or-no question before submitting their votes
for the ASUW officers.

The non-binding survey question asks, "Do you agree that the
University of Washington penalties for the use and possession of
marijuana should be NO greater than those imposed for use and
possession of alcohol?" A disclaimer ensures the question is asked
only to gain a sense of how students view the subject.

In addition to the ballot survey question, the ASUW Senate is
debating a similar non-binding resolution.

"If everyone gets out and votes, I believe the ballot will pass,"
said junior Tim Kelly, NORML/SSDP president. "The Senate is more
hesitant because they are representing a lot of different people, so
they may not be as inclined to speak for others on the issue."

Sophomore Jaclyn Kaul, vice president of NORML/SSDP, concurred.

"I feel very confident in the survey question," she said. "We have
talked with a lot of people, and they agree with us; even people who
do not smoke believe the rules are unfair. One of the biggest things
we need to do is get the faculty behind us; they are strong allies."

If the ASUW election and senate resolution votes pass, NORML/SSDP
hopes to bring these statistics to the administration next year in an
effort to change campus policy.

"The Housing and Food Services (HFS) rules are all very
circumstantial," Kelly said. "While campus policy is not that
strict, there is a high level of police discretion and interpretation."

Many private universities maintain more tolerant rules regarding drugs.

"Compared to other schools, the Ivy League schools have the most
liberal drug policies because they don't want anyone to drop out or
be kicked out of school, because graduation rates and retention rates
decline," Kelly said.

The group has been tabling in front of the HUB to recruit new members
and ask students to send e-mails to Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) a member
of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions, which is deciding whether to repeal a law in the Higher
Education Act that revokes financial aid of college students with
drug convictions.

The group hopes to show a strong endorsement from college students to
convince Murray to vote for the repealing of this law. Almost 200,000
college students with drug convictions have lost their financial aid,
according to the NORML/SSDP.

"It is ridiculous that convicted rapists are still able to receive
financial aid while students with drug convictions are singled out," Kelly said.