By Steve Miller

Prohibition and drug policy in America have been in and out of the national spotlight for the greater part of the 20th century. Beginning primarily with the prohibition of alcohol during the 1920s, it continues today with its attempts at marijuana.

Since its founding in 1970, The National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML) has provided a voice in the public policy debate for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition and favor an end to the practice of arresting marijuana smokers. A new chapter of NORML was brought to the University on Tuesday, when it became an official campus club.

The political activist group, whose slogan “It’s NORML to smoke pot,” will provide an outlet and voice for students, teachers and faculty who oppose marijuana prohibition. By stimulating a rational discussion in an educational forum, they hope to educate the entire campus on the multi-faceted issues regarding marijuana and the marijuana policy for a more rational and cost-effective plan.

In addition, the group will provide education into the many industrial and agricultural applications of hemp and marijuana for medical use and alternative approaches to current criminalization practices. Discussions of the subjects, speakers, fundraisers and trips will be conducted at weekly meetings.

“The vast majority of marijuana smokers, like most other Americans, are good citizens who work hard, raise families, pay taxes and contribute in a positive way to their communities,” said Jake Smith, sophomore and president of the new University chapter. “They are certainly not part of the crime problem in this country and it’s unfair to continue to treat them as criminals. The only way to change this is for more of us to take an active role and get the word out.”

Heather Gibbons, president of the Student Government Association (SGA) recently commented on the group’s acceptance as an official club, suggesting it was great to bring onto campus.

“The Student Government and the University have the responsibility for allowing all students to have their view points heard and as an educational institute it is our job to educate students on what is going on around them on a national level,” she said. “We have had a similar political activist group on campus in previous years, such as the Hemp Club, that have been great and very respectable in promoting their view points and opinions.”

When thinking of a group like NORML which supports reforming marijuana laws, one might assume its members would be promoting its use. In fact, Brian Turow, treasurer of the University’s NORML chapter, it is quite the opposite.

“We don’t encourage or promote more drug use. As a club and part of a large organization, we are simply attempting to inform people of why these laws should be reexamined,” he said. “The negative consequences primarily associated with marijuana, such as an arrest or jail time, are the result of the criminal prohibition of marijuana, not the use itself.”

Jessica Wallerstein, sophomore religious studies major, believes this is a good organization to have here at the University.

“It is a voice for responsible marijuana smokers. It informs people of what is going on around them in terms of the new laws being enforced and how it will affect us all,” she said.

NORML hopes to have the editor of High Times Magazine come to speak at various meetings and looks forward to taking part in Global Marijuana Day and the National NORML conference in Washington, D.C.