cannabisnews.com: Speaker Desires Legal Pot





Speaker Desires Legal Pot
Posted by CN Staff on February 10, 2003 at 12:15:59 PT
By Courtney Ryals
Source: The Tiger
"I think that marijuana should be legalized. Why? Because I smoke pot, and I am not ashamed to say it. It's America's dirty little secret .... But I like to get high. I like to smoke pot."While people all over the nation battle for the legalization of marijuana, students at Clemson chose to spread the cause by inviting Rick Day, the founder of the Texas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), to speak about benefits of legalizing the drug. 
Day, an Air Force veteran with a degree in commercial music, currently works as the State Coordinator and Lobbyist for Georgia NORML.Brought to Clemson by Clemson NORML, Day referred to himself as a "seed planter of freedom." Day cited that one of the main arguments for the legalization of marijuana is that there are varying laws from state to state, each having differing penalties. He indicated that South Carolina has one of the most lenient small possession laws in the nation, with offenders receiving only a $100-$200 civil fine for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana. Confronting the issue of the addictive properties of marijuana, Day commented, "Riding my motorcycle is addictive. Adults should be free to do whatever they want. Consumption falls within that realm."Day believes that marijuana should be legalized and monitored by the U.S. government, who would collect taxes on the commodity. As a result, he believes that marijuana plants should be grown and cut more regularly to ensure maximum potency."If it's more potent, you smoke less. Better strains of marijuana mean that somebody took the time to care for the plants," he explained.He also noted that the U.S. government would save money by not having to enforce marijuana laws or control the black market.Day rallied students at the University and encouraged them that his fight for the legalization of marijuana was not going unnoticed."We are making progress when (lawmakers) stop laughing at us and begin to fight us," he said. "But 70 percent of the voting population is between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. You just don't give a damn. If more young people got involved, got active, got vocal ... you could make a difference."Because Day speaks often about his case for marijuana, he keeps a "living document" of reasons why pot should be legalized, adding to it after every presentation that he makes. The reasons range from the more serious -- legalization for medicinal purposes -- to the comical -- food tastes better high.Day laughingly noted, "If (the marijuana) is homegrown, it's even patriotic!"Sophomore Gil Tisdale said, "I think that marijuana should be legalized because it has beneficial medicinal purposes for people who are suffering from cancer. It makes a hard time in their lives just a little easier."Many, of course, disagree with the position taken by Day and others who want marijuana legalized. Sophomore Anne Stanton said, "The legalization of marijuana makes it seem acceptable for kids to go out and get high."Note: Founder of Texas chapter of NORML says marijuana should be legal.Source: Tiger, The (SC Edu)Author: Courtney RyalsPublished: February 7, 2003Copyright: 2003 The TigerContact: editor thetigernews.comWebsite: http://www.thetigernews.com/Texas NORMLhttp://www.normltexas.org/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml
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