cannabisnews.com: Money, Marijuana Spark IUSA Debate!





Money, Marijuana Spark IUSA Debate!
Posted by FoM on June 14, 1999 at 11:23:19 PT
by Matt Zimmerman, Indiana Daily Student
Source: Indiana Digital Student
Money and marijuana were the main issues discussed Thursday as the IUSA congress' business included hearing guest speakers affiliated with the Citizens Alliance for the Legalization of Marijuana (CALM).
CALM financial coordinator Jen Weiss trumpeted the legalization of industrial hemp as a viable source of paper and other products, and said the United States should follow the lead of other nations such as Canada and Germany and legalize the use of hemp. "(There's a) negative PR campaign that we're all victims of today," Weiss said. "The fact is, the rest of the world has taken off with industrial hemp, and the United States is in a cloud of ignorance."The IUSA congress agreed, passing the resolution to "recommend support of the elimination of Federal Laws that prohibit the growing of industrial hemp to Indiana's congressional Representatives" by a vote of 39 for, five against, and no abstentions.CALM President and founder Mike Truelove was in attendance at the meeting, and said he was happy to see the support his group received in congress. "I was particularly satisfied with the industrial hemp resolution, how easily it passed," Truelove said. "Some of the senators' knowledge on the topic was quite impressive." The meeting also featured some unanimous votes approving budgets for different departments in IUSA, including the budgets for the Assisted Interorganizational Development (AID) Department and the Faculty Course Evaluation (FCE) Department. But the main issues on the minds of the congress for most of the evening were the marijuana resolutions.A resolution recommending Indiana's congressional Representatives support medicinal use of marijuana was tabled to allow the members of congress to discuss the issue with their constituents on and off campus. Truelove said there is student support, noting that CALM collected more than 1,000 student signatures on a petition supporting medicinal marijuana.IUSA President Pro-Tempore Sara LaBuda, a junior, repeatedly stressed that it is paramount for members to discuss these issues with their constituents. LaBuda was a member of congress when a proposal came up calling for unilateral student fees so every student could get a free bus pass. She saw that many senators had not discussed the plan with the students before voting."That was a resolution where people should have voted on how their constituents felt," LaBuda said. "We have resolutions in front of us that have a lot to do with marijuana, and I have a personal feeling that a lot of people in congress voted on the way they feel. That's really upsetting when congresspeople don't vote the way their constituents want them to vote."The other marijuana-related resolution was in support of the repeal of a provision of the Higher Education Act of 1998 that prohibits a person convicted of drug offenses from receiving student aid for college. Off-campus senator Ryan Paschal, a senior, weighed in against the resolution, calling it an issue of "right and wrong." "I'm all for free will, (and) people can do what they want, but if you want to take advantage of a privilege such as the (student) loans, and you know that this law could possibly stop you from getting those loans, don't do it," Paschal said. "I'm all for hemp as an industrial plant, (and) I've used hemp goods. But when it comes down to recreational drugs, I'm completely against that; I'm completely against breaking the law."But Truelove said taking away college aid for recreational drug use is a mistake. "Too often, we get into this mindset of punishing people, and in the end we're just punishing ourselves, because these people fall through the cracks who can't get an education. They're the ones we're going to have to support the rest of our lives with welfare or some other support," Truelove said. "I'm of the opinion that anytime you can educate someone, that's a plus. Personally, my own feeling on education and loans, (is) I think the government should pay for everybody's education (and) we shouldn't be required to get loans and so forth."The resolution passed 27-14-1. Among the sponsors of the resolution was IUSA President La'Maze Johnson, who said he has been a member of CALM for about a year, and who supported similar legislation in front of congress before as a student-at-large. "I put my name on it because I believe in the philosophy of it, (and) the mission statement of the organization, being a member; that's the reason that my name was on the bill," Johnson said. "I believe that (the CALM) organization is a justifiable one in the fact that we have so many students who are interested, and who are members of this group. It's one of the largest student groups on campus." Johnson, who was silent during the debates on the marijuana resolutions, said he does not want to sway any votes in congress. He agrees with LaBuda's statement that members of congress should talk to their constituents before voting on issues."I try to stress that that was my personal opinion on the issue," Johnson said. "I would prefer that (senators) do their job and go out and canvas the students for an opinion."http://www.idsnews.com/news/061499/campus/061499money.html
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