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Cannabis activists push issue on Hash Wednesday
By Michelle Gonzalez | Staff writer | Daily Illini | April 14, 2004

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and the Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) will celebrate the 7th Annual Hash Wednesday today on the Quad. The event, which advocates the legalization of cannabis, also known as marijuana, will include speakers, brownies, contests and teach-ins.

"Drugs are not evil, I am not evil — Yes, I smoke weed, but who cares?" said Danielle Schumacher, senior in LAS and president of NORML and SSDP. "We want to get the truth out about drugs and raise awareness about the issues."

Frank Nardulli, graduate student and the event's organizer, said he wants more people to know about the benefits of marijuana — mostly medicinal marijuana and industrial hemp.

"We have certain rights to do what we want to do," Nardulli said. "The government doesn't have a right to turn something that isn't a criminal act into one."

Schumacher said much of the opposition toward drugs started in the '80s, with the "War on Drugs."

"It's been going on for so long. People are not taught the truth — I don't blame them," Schumacher said.

Nardulli said students on this campus don't know enough to formulate a real opinion. That is why his main goal is education.

"I think the majority of campus is misinformed," Nardulli said. "The way you can change the law is to change people's opinions."

University Police Department Crime Prevention Coordinator Tony Ortiz said he has facts that many students are unaware about.

"If you get convicted, student aid, loans and grants could be stripped away from you," Ortiz said.

Ortiz said students know the law, and they should follow it. If students break this law, he said they might be prone to breaking the law again.

"You are basically disrespecting the rules and regulations of the University. If it's against the law, it's against the law. Until it is legal, it is illegal," Ortiz said.

Schumacher said it is going to be interesting to see what people attending the event will do. She said if people choose to smoke weed, that is their choice. The event is simply put on to inform and educate.

"If people get arrested on Hash Wednesday, it's their own fault. That is their choice," Schumacher said.

Hash Wednesday is rumored to have started in the '70s, when people showed resistance to marijuana laws.

"Everyone has conflicting histories on it," Schumacher said.

Schumacher said the event was more popular in the '70s, gathering about 1,000 people on the Quad.

This year, NORML and SSDP sponsored a benefit show at Cowboy Monkey, 6 Taylor St., Champaign, to raise money for the event. They also had four bake sales and have raised funds through sales of T-shirts, Schumacher said.

Schumacher said that by advertising all over the campus and community, she hopes there will be a bigger turnout this year than in years past.

"If this is successful, it can only get better," Schumacher said.

Andrew Wong, sophomore in applied life studies, said he will attend today's events and said marijuana should be legal.

"I guess weed will always be around regardless, so it might as well be legal, to generate tax revenue and be regulated— plus its not like coke or heroine," Wong said.

 

Hot Lava

haha, I go to school there. I didn't even realize Hash wednesday was going on, until later on that evening when it was too late to go. Dammit! I always miss out on all the good stuff!

Oh well, I am definitely not going to miss 4/20

kimberly

People who do weed are pot heads, no, maybe not all of them. It's an unnecessary drug for anyone to do unless you suffer from a medical condition that can be helped because you smoke up. Why bother when you don't have to I ask? There are no studies saying that it's horrible for you, but there are also no studies that say it's excellent for you either. "hash wednesday" is a load of crap and should be put to a stop immediately. Why make fun of a religous day and turn it into something evil? Pot smokers are out of control and need to come down and come back to the real world instead of their make believe.

TurbulentHigh

Is it fun to make up stuff, and pretend you are knowledgable on topics that you are not?

People who do weed are pot heads? Okay. I don't think anyone knows what you mean by that, perhaps you care to elaborate.

Marijuana is an unnecessary drug? Yeah, its called recreational usage.

People use other recreational drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. Both of which are legal and far more harmful than marijuana.

Why bother? Well good for you, enjoy your life of sobriety. As for me, I enjoy altering my conciousness. And wish to do so in peace.

There are no studies that say its horrible for you? I beg to differ, there are quite a few studies.

Dr. Heath/Tulane study of 1974 actually said that marijuana caused permanent brain damage and possibly death. However, it was determined to be gutter science since Dr.Heath's researchers forced monkeys to smoke marijuana for 5 minutes straight. Thus the real damage was contributed to carbon monoxide poisoning.

There are several other studies very similair to this. However, I will not post them because as above they are gutter science (science in which certain important factors are not accounted for to cheat the results).

There are plenty of legitamit studies however.

The Coptic Study 1982 - No harm to human brain or intelligence

Jamaican Studies 1968-75, Determined benefits for marijuana smokers.

Costa Rican Study 1980 - Determined no social damage.

And of course we can always look at the Amsterdam model, which many studies have sprung out of. These are just a few, I could list more but I don't really need to debunk someone who obviously has no idea what they speak of. Hash Wednesday is a celebration by a group of individuals who just want to be left alone. Why should it be stopped, is it infringing on your rights?

Let us assume it was making fun of religion, since when is that wrong? I see that happen all the time on late night TV, in far more direct additudes. How did you determine marijuana is evil? Pot smokers are not out of control, we just want to be left alone. It is the government, and the religious groups, and the moralists who persecute us and go out of their way to harrass US or throw our friends and family in jail.

So please, do me a favor and actually try to look at this from a logical perspective.

- TH421

__________________
Ron Paul will end the "War on Drugs"

five9guy

I do not understand the why marijuna is still illegal. How many people each year die from using marijuna as opposed to drinking alcohol? I am an avid user since way back in the mid to late '70s and still use. I am not a drinker and that is my only outlet of stress. I do not see why we cannot sit at home on our behinds smoking a blunt when we are not out there on the roads drunk killing people. for me that is the chioce I would much prefer over drinking. LEGALIZE IT FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO WANT TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY THEIR CHOICES IN LIFE.

 

mikez

Following up on kimberly re: potsmokers should give it up cuz it serves no useful purpose. If that's just general advice, okay. Or do we want the gov't deciding what's good for us and forcing us to comply with prison sentences?

Maybe that really is the right way to go but why stop at pot? Cigarettes have got to be included. Tobacco possession = felony, yeah. I look forward to that. (Hey no joke, 400,000 dead from tobacco each year in the USA alone.)

But why stop there? Alcohol has got to be included. Some people can handle it but too many can't. Millions of lives ruined. You know that's not idle rhetoric.

But why stop there? Soda has got to be next. You think I'm joking? Kids are dying, others are left permanently disabled. Consumption of soda (the average school-age kid drinking 3 cans a day) has been implicated in this startling development. Attribution

And still the list of ill-advised activities could go on. Do we want the gov't to micromanage our lives or not? Maybe that really would be best. But then let's not stop with pot smoking. Let's have equal opportunity micromanagement of our personal lives by the nanny state.

__________________
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." --Thomas Jefferson.

TurbulentHigh

It amazes me how many people cannot figure this out. Marijuana is illegal because individuals who hold the power (that does not mean the president) do not want it to be legal because they benefit from it being illegal. Politicians are pawns to be exploited by those who have money, or some other sort of influence. Our system of government is corrupt, but not in the traditional sense. Normally when we think of corrupt government we think of a more obvious corruption such as is possible within a dictatorship. However the American version of corruption happens on a more economic level. Bribery happens at such a high level of our government, good luck proving it. The fact that I even suggested it makes me a "conspiracy theorist". Also take note that there are several oganizations that exist within our government that were made to find problems with drugs and to warn people. Imagine how much funding they would lose, and how many people would lose jobs if marijuana were to become legal. And before someone remarks, but think about the jobs that would form from marijuana. Also take note thats just within our government, marijuana has so many different uses. One acre of hemp can produce as much paper as an acre of 20 year old trees. Imagine the up roar it would cause in the paper industry. The list goes on and on. Then you take in to account the moralists, religous, and prejudice people. Many people who like marijuana don't want it to become legal, because they can make money selling to people at outrageous prices.

So you see, there are many reasons why it is not legal. I'm sure I even missed a few, that was just off the top of my head. If I actually sat down and narrowed it down I'm sure I could come up with more reasons. It is corruption at an extremely high level.

- TH421