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 veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
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 [CT] Colleges consider relaxing marijuana rules 
#14806762 - 07/22/11 01:18 AM (10 months, 5 hours ago) |
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Colleges consider relaxing marijuana rules
July 22, 2011 - Associated Press
HARTFORD — Some state colleges and universities in Connecticut are looking into easing their marijuana regulations now that possession of a small amount of pot has been downgraded to a violation about as serious as a parking ticket.
The University of Connecticut has set up a panel of administrators and students to reconsider a policy that requires police to be notified when there is a suspicion of marijuana on campus.
Despite the new decriminalization law, it remains a delicate issue for universities: While Connecticut now punishes small marijuana violators with a $150 fine, the federal government is keeping a hard line against a drug that it deems dangerous and addictive.
"On the one hand some change in campus policy may be appropriate in light of the changes in state law," UConn spokesman Michael Kirk said. "On the other hand marijuana is still illegal."
Public universities are weighing whether it now makes more sense to handle such cases in-house with campus security officers instead of calling police.
Under the law that took effect July 1, possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana is punishable by only the small fine, payable by mail, and does not go on a violator's permanent record. Previously, anyone caught with that amount could face a $1,000 penalty and a year in prison.
Sam Tracy, UConn's student government president, was elected on a platform that included marijuana decriminalization and is now a member of the panel exploring changes to the campus drug policy. He said he would prefer a more forgiving policy that handles small amounts of marijuana the same way it handles underage drinking — without police involvement.
"This is an excellent law especially for students," he said of decriminalization.
Other schools across Connecticut will be looking to balance the new law against guidance from the U.S. Justice Department. While federal authorities rarely arrest anyone for small drug crimes, the schools are wary of adopting a policy that conflicts with federal law.
At Central Connecticut State University, Jonathan Pohl, director of drug education, said administrators will likely review the marijuana policy by August. He said a change may be in order, but he does not want a knee-jerk reaction.
Pohl is concerned about misinformed students taking decriminalization too far and using it as a rationale to smoke marijuana on campus. Minors caught with the drug can lose their driver's license or see other major impacts on their lives, Pohl said.
Private universities in Connecticut have been slightly more removed from campus cannabis controversies. At schools such as Yale University and Connecticut College, administrations have more discretion in dealing with marijuana users because such matters are often handled by school-employed campus safety officers rather than police.
Kirk said UConn officials are reaching out to universities in other states that decriminalized marijuana, including Massachusetts, to see how they handled shifts in drug policy.
Advocates say decriminalization is part of a general culture shift that eventually could lead to many Connecticut institutions reconsidering their policies.
About a dozen other states, including California and New York, have reduced penalties for getting caught with marijuana.
Punishments for having small amounts won't go on permanent records, which means violators will have access to programs that are off-limits to people convicted of misdemeanor drug crimes, such as federal tuition aid.
About 2,000 people in Connecticut each year go to court for possessing a half-ounce or less of cannabis, legislative analysts say.
Eric Williams of the Connecticut branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws said the state is becoming more accepting of marijuana users and moving toward putting them on equal footing with non-smokers. Until recently, he said, a conviction for a small amount of marijuana could make it more difficult to get a job or pass a background check.
"That changes now, it's not this absolute stigma," Williams said.
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Green_T
Getting to the chopper
Registered: 10/02/08
Posts: 4,024
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Re: [CT] Colleges consider relaxing marijuana rules [Re: veggie]
#14806814 - 07/22/11 01:47 AM (10 months, 5 hours ago) |
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 Good news!
--------------------
"I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man" - Thomas Jefferson
Legalize Meth | Drug War Victims
Their vial of acid, which is on the table over there, tastes vile because they're incompetent chemists.
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