Spring Break
Conference emphasizes marijuana law reform
Perry Robbin
Issue date: 3/30/09 Section: News
UConn's branch of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) held a conference on Saturday supporting state senate Bill 349, which proposes decriminalizing minor possession of marijuana.
The conference, called "Decrim Makes Cents," went from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., featured a host of guest speakers. They included Micah Daigle, SSDP's field director, and Eric Sterling, president of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation and advisor to SSDP.
The event featured panels on decriminalization, group discussions and workshops on organizing groups.
Don Halas, an 8th-semester environmental science and natural resource major and president of UConn's SSDP chapter, was excited by the opportunities the conference presented.
Halas said the conference was a chance to engage students in dialogue about an issue relevant to them.
A common theme echoed by SSDP members was the money spent on the war on drugs, versus the money could be made from decriminalizing marijuana.
Lucien Stroie, a 4th-semester finance and actuarial science major, said that the decriminalization bill would create a $1.3 million surplus for the state. This money would come from the reduction in money spent on the current process of dealing with marijuana offenders, as well as the funds generated by fines for possession.
SSDP members went to Hartfordl last week to support bill 349, where they encountered what they described as a disconnect with the legislature on the idea of legalizing marijuana.
Amanda Stauble, an 8th-semester political science major and member of SSDP, said that a matter of particular concern was their interaction with state representative Chris Coutu, one of the youngest state representatives.
She said that a discrepancy exists with politicians who want to protect children from drugs, but do not say what happens when those children reach the age of majority and are able to make their own decisions.
Stroie compared the accessibility of marijuana and alcohol in high schools, saying that it is easier to procure marijuana because it is illegal.
The conference, called "Decrim Makes Cents," went from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., featured a host of guest speakers. They included Micah Daigle, SSDP's field director, and Eric Sterling, president of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation and advisor to SSDP.
The event featured panels on decriminalization, group discussions and workshops on organizing groups.
Don Halas, an 8th-semester environmental science and natural resource major and president of UConn's SSDP chapter, was excited by the opportunities the conference presented.
Halas said the conference was a chance to engage students in dialogue about an issue relevant to them.
A common theme echoed by SSDP members was the money spent on the war on drugs, versus the money could be made from decriminalizing marijuana.
Lucien Stroie, a 4th-semester finance and actuarial science major, said that the decriminalization bill would create a $1.3 million surplus for the state. This money would come from the reduction in money spent on the current process of dealing with marijuana offenders, as well as the funds generated by fines for possession.
SSDP members went to Hartfordl last week to support bill 349, where they encountered what they described as a disconnect with the legislature on the idea of legalizing marijuana.
Amanda Stauble, an 8th-semester political science major and member of SSDP, said that a matter of particular concern was their interaction with state representative Chris Coutu, one of the youngest state representatives.
She said that a discrepancy exists with politicians who want to protect children from drugs, but do not say what happens when those children reach the age of majority and are able to make their own decisions.
Stroie compared the accessibility of marijuana and alcohol in high schools, saying that it is easier to procure marijuana because it is illegal.
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