Is it ganja happen?
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The Senate Judiciary Committee will discuss amendments to the marijuana decriminalization bill this week. (public domain) |
Decriminalizing marijuana would make the process quicker for law enforcement when there is only a small amount of the drug involved, says Dr. Kathleen Daye of Waterbury, Vt, a supporter of the decriminalization bill.
St. Michael’s Security investigating officer R.J. Vallie says it would reduce the offense to a civil rather than criminal charge, thus bringing it down to the level of a speeding ticket.
However, issuing tickets for marijuana possession might not solve the problem, Vallie says. Currently, traffic tickets are one of the things that take up the most time in courts, and marijuana violations would be on that same level, he says.
The bill’s potential for passage is uncertain, as the committee is having a tough time getting the three votes to send it to the House, Sears says. If it does get through the House, he is still not sure if Gov. Douglas will veto the bill.
The low-down on Mary Jane at St. Michael's
Currently, 10 states have decriminalized marijuana and 13 states permit it for medical use, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (N.O.R.M.L.) Web site. Most of these state laws decriminalize approximately an ounce of pot, according to the Web site.
Even though Vermont hasn’t decriminalized marijuana, it does have a diversion process in which small amounts of marijuana aren’t usually considered felonies, Vallie says.
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Students caught with marijuana can pay a fine of up to $150 or do community service. (public domain) |
On the St. Michael’s campus, small amounts of marijuana are treated in a similar way, Vallie says. If a student is caught possessing a small amount, such as a joint, it is considered a policy violation in which the student will be fined between $50 and $100, he says. The fine can go up to $150 if the student is uncooperative or dishonest with the officer, Vallie says. Sometimes students are expected to do community service, either on or off-campus, as a substitute for paying a fine.
In general, Security deals with most marijuana violations on campus, however, students are not completely exempt from the law, Vallie says.
“We do have a working relationship with the Colchester Police Department if someone has an ounce or two,” Vallie says.
With regards to the sale of marijuana on campus, it is grounds for expulsion, dean of students Michael Samara says.
High expectations
Daye believes the decriminalization bill is a step in the right direction, but would rather see marijuana legalized, she says.
“To me, the decriminalization is tweaking the existing prohibition,” she says.
Currently, Vermont permits the use of medical marijuana, according to state law. This law allows a registered patient, that has documentation from a physician permitting the use of marijuana for their symptoms, to own two mature plants, seven immature plants, and two ounces of usable marijuana, Daye says. Daye is proposing that the state legalize this amount for all Vermont citizens.
If marijuana users were allowed to grow a small amount in their homes for their personal use, this would cut down the perpetuation of crime and violence that goes along with the black market, Daye says.
“I think the black market is the biggest reason against prohibition,” she says.
Additionally, Daye says marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol, a legal and regulated drug in the United States.
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Informational pamphlets on drugs and alcohol line a wall at Student Health Services. (Photo by Abby Robitaille) |
However, Sears says he doesn’t believe that legalizing marijuana is the answer at this point. If Vermont decided to legalize it, federal laws still view marijuana as an illegal drug, Sears says. The federal law would end up superseding the state law. The United States has enough problems with the legal drugs of alcohol and tobacco, he says.
The past three to five years at St. Michael’s has seen a slight increase in the number of students enrolled in programs for drug abuse, says Susan Jacques, director of Student Health Services.
But Jacques is skeptical as to whether a change in the law will lead to a greater increase in drug abuse, she says.
“I think use is fairly widespread, and I’m not sure if the law will have much effect on the recreational use of marijuana,” she says.
“The potential advantage of decriminalization is that instead of putting our efforts into arrest and conviction of young people over marijuana use, we can hopefully use those efforts toward education about the risk of abuse of marijuana,” Jacques says.