cannabisnews.com: NIC Trustees Won't Bust Marijuana Club





NIC Trustees Won't Bust Marijuana Club
Posted by FoM on April 27, 2000 at 23:19:41 PT
By Alison Boggs - Staff Writer
Source: Spokane.net
Coeur d'Alene: North Idaho College trustees made it clear Wednesday that they will not interfere with a new student club formed to promote the legalization of marijuana."This is protected speech," board Chairwoman Barbara Chamberlain said. "It won't come to the board as an action item."
The board asked college president Michael Burke to draft a response to a letter the Coeur d'Alene City Council sent this week. The letter said that the city has worked hard to educate youth about the dangers of drug abuse, and that the new club contradicts those efforts.Chamberlain said that it is not the board's place to put down a legally formed club. The trustees have confirmed that position with their attorney, she said.Burke said news reports about the club's formation have prompted phone calls from concerned parents of students. Burke stressed that the student code clearly prohibits the sale, possession and consumption of drugs or alcohol on campus.Also, Burke said, the club's goal is to change a law in the state of Idaho, not to advocate drug use.The club plans to develop an initiative for the November 2002 ballot that would ask voters to legalize marijuana and industrial hemp. Club officers originally planned to develop the ballot initiative for this year's election, but realized Wednesday that it would be too late for the April 30 deadline. Placing an initiative on the ballot requires gathering signatures statewide amounting to 6 percent of registered voters in the previous general election. Half of the state's 44 counties have to be represented."We can start gathering signatures now," said club President Dan Sheckler. "We can still do work toward our goal. I suspect we're going to need more time than we had thought."Burke pointed out that the club's constitution includes a statement that members will abide by all state and federal laws. Though some may see the club's formation as "tax dollars gone awry," Burke said, the only funds the club is eligible for are student fee monies, not property tax dollars."That is not part of our tax support," Burke said.Some board members of the college's fund-raising foundation have expressed concern about the club's impact on NIC's image, said Steve Schenk, executive director of the NIC Foundation."It's always going to be a controversial issue," Schenk said. "A lot of people misunderstand this and think taxpayer money has been used toward this effort and that's not the case."Whether we agree or disagree, they have the right to do this."Published: April 17, 2000Copyright: Spokane.netRelated Articles:NIC Approves Marijuana Clubhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5521.shtmlNIC Club Formed to Fight for Legalization of Pothttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5451.shtmlCannabisNews Articles On Legalization:http://google.com/search?lc=&num=10&q=legalization+site:cannabisnews.com
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