THE NEW FACE OF MARY JANE

Today is the 20th of April.

To many, today may just be another day on the calendar, but to some,
this is the holiday of holidays. Like the generations of marijuana
users before them, today's class of pot users is embracing their
affection for that enchanting, ageless Mary Jane, by continuing a long
legacy of marijuana love on 4/20.

But unlike the original hippies of yesteryear, today's current mix of
blunt-rolling, bong-hitting, joint-twisting reefer lovers have taken
up the hobby at a time when marijuana's role has undergone drastic
changes in American culture.

After years of being just another college pastime, the resurgence in
the popularity of marijuana on the campus hit home last year when a
Student Government Association referendum found 65 percent of 4,376
student respondents supported more lenient pot penalties. The
resurgence was further cemented in August, when High Times magazine
gave the university its top honor for being a "counterculture" school.

And when the Residence Halls Association passed legislation in
February to lower dorm punishments for marijuana smokers to that of
standard alcohol penalties, heads began to turn as a growing student
movement of weed supporters suddenly shook the stigma of red-eyed,
lackadaisical potheads. Instead, the effort has begun to resemble a
well-oiled lobbyist machine.

"Sophisticated, organized and savvy" is how Steve Petkas, Resident
Life's associate director for student and staff development, praised
the leaders of student groups on the campus who have fought to lessen
marijuana restrictions. Petkas says that because of these efforts, the
legislation passed by the RHA now sits on the desk of Resident Life's
director, who is expected to announce her decision on the
legislation's future in the coming weeks.

With a growing reputation as a competent lobbying operation, today's
generation of marijuana advocates is showing the ability to make a
distinction between the drug's stigma and the lifestyle associated
with it, something almost unheard of when the most organized protests
for marijuana rights here consisted of lighting up in front of McKeldin.

But despite the more polished advocacy efforts, some decry that the
once-deep cultural element behind the reefer has taken a step back.
With the traditional role of marijuana up in smoke, some say that what
was once a unified counterculture of tokers looking for spiritual
awakening has splintered into a generation of smokers with a variety
of rationales for embracing the green.

"There was a time when experimenting with drugs had as much to do with
spiritual enlightenment and expanding your mind rather than having a
fun weekend," said Jo Paoletti, an American studies professor who
remembers watching her classmates pass joints around on her college
campus in between classes. "It seems to me one of the things missing."

Gone are the days when Jimi Hendrix captivated crowds with his a
guitar in his hands and a joint in his mouth. Bob Marley may be a
staple on dorm room walls and on T-shirts, but few know that the
reggae legend stood for more than smoking weed and having a good time.

"Even in the '70s it seemed more of a way to thumb your nose at the
establishment, but it didn't have anything to do with looking inside
of your own mind," said Paoletti, explaining that even a decade after
it had become widely popular in the '60s, the drug had lost its
ideological connotations.

"Each generation has its own culture and environment," she said.
"Today, they're so used to being plugged into information 24 hours a
day. How do you unplug from that? Where do you escape to?"

Paoletti said that one of the biggest changes between her generation
and today is the way law enforcement has cracked down on its use, an
issue that has sparked some controversy.

Both sides of the marijuana legalization debate use statistics about
prison populations that support their positions. Proponents of more
lenient marijuana policies say that harsh penalties have flooded
prison populations with inmates whose only infractions are marijuana
charges and who pose little threat to society. The Office of National
Drug Control counters with surveys that show most inmates with
marijuana convictions are also in prison for other, more serious crimes.

In any case, most agree that pot smokers have never succumbed to "just
saying no."

"The thing about our generation - we're what's called the DARE
generation, and we had all of that really scary 'just say no to drugs'
propaganda thrown at us," said Stacia Cosner, President of Students
for Sensible Drug Policy, who most credit for the legislative progress
in reducing marijuana restrictions on the campus. "I feel like a lot
of young people are confused as to why the law enforcement takes this
so harshly."

So what will Cosner, the ambassador of the DARE generation, be doing
today in honor of the big 420? Smoking a fatty? Staging a protest?

Nope. "I'll be at a grant-writing workshop," she said.