Legalized Marijuana
A lot of people have been getting pretty self
righteous since the Eugene police started clean
ing up on the nasty old marijuana smokers, espe
cially since some of them were among the “hip
pies” we defended last week. A lot of people
keep saying “see, see, nasty, nasty.”
Baloney.
That ignores the main issue. The people who
got arrested were picked up under a law that’s as
out-of-date as prohibition. Marijuana should no
more be illegal than water. (In fact, the way the
lumber industry and others are going in this
state, marijuana is probably purer than water.)
Consider the evidence that follows.
Some people say marijuana should be illegal
because it is physically harmful, like heroin or
LSD.
We quote from the Bulletin of the World
Health Organization, a United Nations agency,
(Volume 35, Number 5, 1965):
“. . . There is, in consequence, no characteristic
abstinence syndrome when use of the drug is dis
continued.
“Whereas cannabis (marijuana) often attracts
the mentally unstable and may precipitate tempo
rary phychoses in predisposed individuals, no un
equivocal evidence is available that lasting mental
changes are produced.
“Drug dependence of the cannabis type is a state
arising from chronic or periodic administration of
cannabis substances (natural or synthetic). Its
characteristics are:
“(a) Moderate to strong psychic dependence on
account of the desired subjective effects.
“(b) Absence of physical dependence, so that
there is no characteristic abstinence syndrome
when the drug is discontinued.
“(c) Little tendency to increase the dose and no
evidence of tolerance.”
In fact, it’s doubtful that a hippie smoking
pot is hurting himself any more than a pot
bellied Eugene businessman downing his mar
X If
tini at the end of the day. Listen to Dr. Joel
Fort, director of the Center for Treatment and
Education on Alcoholism in San Francisco, lec
turer in the University of California School of
Criminology, and consultant on drug addiction
with the World Health Organization: “Cannabis
(marijuana) is a valuable, pleasure-giving drug,
probably much safer than alcohol but condemned
by the power structure of our society."
One reason that marijuana is safer than alco
hol, according to studies, is that the marijuana
users maintain control of their faculties and are
less likely to get involved in accidents. As the
WHO study notes, it has also been medically
proven that alcohol has a much higher potential
for physical dependence, increasing dosage, and
psychological dependence than marijuana.
WHY NOT LEGALIZE IT?
If marijuana isn't any more harmful than
alcohol why not legalize it? It leads to stronger,
more harfmul drugs, people say.
Also listen to the man who engineered pas
sage of the present federal statute against mari
juana use, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. Asked
by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee
in 1937 whether marijuana use leads to heroin
addiction, Henry J. Anslinger, the federal com
missioner of narcotics, said, “No, sir. I have not
heard of a case of that kind. 1 think it's an en
tirely different class. The marijuana addict (what
ever that is) does not go in that direction.”
If there is any connection between marijuana
use and addiction to stronger drugs like heroin,
it arises from the fact that they are both illegal.
Thus the guy who pushes marijuana may also
have some heroin and persuade the marijuana
user to try it. The cases where this occurs could
be eliminated by taking marijuana out of the
In Our Own Backyard
We are embarrassed to note that the new Emerald editor
and business manager were selected in a closed meeting
Thursday night.
After our protests over closed sessions, it hurts to see the
Student Publications Board deny requests to hear the can
didates’ presentations and ask questions. However, we have
no objections to closing it during personality discussion.
Oregon Daily Emerald
Opinions expressed on the editorial page are those of the Emerald and
do not necessarily represent the opinions of the ASUO or the University.
However, the Emerald does present on this page columnists and letter
writers whose opinions reflect those of our diverse readership and not those
of the Emerald itself.
PHIL SEMAS, Editor
WILBUR BISHOP JR.
Business Manager
RICH JERNSTEDT
Advertising Manager
CLIFF SANDERLIN
Associate Editor
ANNETTE BUCHANAN
Managing Editor
MIKE FANCHER
News Editor
JEAN SNIDER
Editorial Page Editor
University of Oregon, Eugene, Friday, April 21, 1967
Camerons Comment
mam
"IDENTIFIED* MEANS SOUEBODV CW.ueO
you a naw\e ik) front o'p us.
heroin league and making it legal.
Even federal officials agree that marijuana
penalties are at least “too severe.” That’s what
Dr. James L. Goddard, director of the U S. Public
Health Service, told a colloquium on drug use
at Cornell University in 1906. And Dr. James
Fox, a staff member of the federal Bureau of
Drug Abuse Control, told a National Student
Association workshop last summer, “I would
say that there may very well be some modifica
tion in government attitudes toward marijuana.”
NOT IN THE SAME LEAGUE
The strict laws against marijuana make it
difficult to convince many people (especially
those who know that marijuana is comparatively
harmless) that really dangerous drugs, such as
heroin and LSD, are harmful and ought to be
illegal. And medical evidence makes it clear
that marijuana is not in the same league with
acid and heroin. (Let us make it clear at this
point that the Emerald does not believe either
heroin or LSD should be legalized.)
Besides all these negative arguments about
what marijuana isn't, there’s the positive argu
ment about what it is. Those who’vc used it,
such as poet Alan Ginsberg, say it gives much
more pleasure and enjoyment than alcohol and
certainly more than tobacco. And nobody has
ever maintained that marijuana causes cancer.
So that’s the case for legalization. We think
it’s time people stopped pointing their fingers
at these kids who have been arrested for break
ing an antiquated law. Instead, the finger-point
ers should expend their energy getting rid of the
law.
The Emerald doesn’t necessarily recommend
that everyone take marijuana, but we think it
should be legal for those who want to.
Emerald Editor:
All letters to the editor must
be typewritten and double
spaced. Letters must not ex
ceed 300 words and must be
signed in ink, giving the class
and major of the writer. Those
dealing with one subject and
pertaining to the University or
Eugene community will be giv
en preference The Emerald re
serves the right to edit letters
for style, grammar, punctuation,
and potentially libelous content
Letters not meeting these cri
teria and those which are mim
eographed or otherwise obvious
duplicates will be returned.
Campus Commies
Emerald Editor:
Relative to communistic in
filtrations in our colleges, I
was very much interested in a
front page article which appear
ed on front page of the Oregon
Journal of April 13.
Following bold headlines “In
former tells of Reds’ drive to
grab campuses,” I would place'
considerable emphasis on state
ments this informer Krueger
made relative to these commu
nistic activities.
“Young communists are mak
ing a systematic attempt to
take over student leadership on
West Coast college campuses,”
and “As for college campuses,”
Krueger said, “the aim of the
club is to place members or
other reliable persons in strat
egic positions such as commit
tees for selecting campus speak
ers. By so doing, he said, the
club is able to control much
of what the students hear.”
Long before I had observed
this article, I have often con
tended that this very procedure
has been taking place for some
time. In my opinion, anti-fluor
ide propagandists have been
the most successful, in not only
scaring the devil out of the peo
ple, but attempting to create in
their mind, fear and distrust of
their own government and its
officials.
Those rabble rousers, being
encouraged by the acceptance
of such controversial speakers
as LSD proponents, Nazi sym
pathizers, and recognized com
munists who have been priv
ileged to spout on our college
rostrum, are now making a des
perate effort to further spread
their poison in a like manner.
As Mr. Krueger also stated,
"They are making a special ef
fort to recruit clergymen." The
latter has already been accom
plished in some instances.
Harvey Young
Monmouth, Oregon
• * »
Rally Round
Emerald Editor:
The great white father in
another flash of “creeping lib
eralism” has agreed to extend
closing hours for one hour.
Bacchus has been given one
more precious hour to reign
supreme. The question remains
though, whether or not with this
addition of responsibilities Pan
hellenic has overextended it
self?
Only eminent campus figures
like the president of IFC can
foresee the implications of mas
sive retaliation on the part of
Zeta Zeta Zeta alumnae.
But, thank God, the Oregon
PTA as well as the Molalla
Mothers’ Club can rest at ease;
the malevolence of original sin
has been uniquely thwarted.
It has been proven beyond
a doubt, as a responsible
P a n h e llenic representative
could testify, that the fall of
morality lies between the hours
of 2 and 6 a.m.
However, the laxity on clos
ing hours edges nearer and near
er the point of no return, and
it seems imperative that deci
sions making be withheld from
the ultra-progressive IFC and
Panhellenic league.
It is now time to conserve
and consolate, lest the Univer
sity go the way of Rome.
One looking for stability and
tranquility as well as, and I’m
not afraid to say it—Old fash
ioned morality, must look to
the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology of the West Coast,
and to that I say thank the heav
ens and the stars for James H.
Jensen.
The undergraduates must
unite to stop this oozing immor
ality, certainly we have a min
iature William Jennings Bryan
within the student body who
can lead the fight against re
peal of the dry zone. Indeed,
Harry Drummonds has outlived
his usefulness, if what this
University needs is a Billy Sun
day.
I would also like to refute
a |>oint recently made in the
editorial column. It seems that
your writer, probably Ben Kalb,
lambasted the American people
for electing a “Joe McCarthy,
Ronald Reagan and Lester Mad
dox.”
Although Ronald Reagan's po
litical ideas may be appropri
ate for a colony of individual
istic rhesus monkeys, 1 dare say
Reagan is not in the same
class with those other two ig
nominious boobs.
You have also put the Am
erican people in a bad light.
There was no mention of the
honorable Warren G. Harding,
Calvin “Big Baddy” Cool id ge
or Chester A Arthur, and in the
name of all that is sacred and
holy, what about Dwight D. Ei
senhower.
In conclusion I withdraw to
tho seclusion and blissfulness of
my fraternity in dire fear that
Joseph Fiszman who edited, I
presume, that classic manu
script of exciting reading, “The
Fiszman Reader,” will hurl aca
demic and scholarly invectives
at my undergraduate carcass.
Richard Fredericks
History
* * *
Wants Pen Pals
Emerald Editor:
I am interested in having
pen pals from the United States
(especially from Oregon). I have
been directed to your news
paper by the American Embas
sy in Lagos.
I am 20 years old. My hobby
is general, but I take special
(Cuntiniii'd on pane 11)
Oregon Dally Emerald
Ron Eachus, Sports Editor
Tom Thompson, Photo Editor
Steve Brown, Assistant News Editor
Sally Sharrard, Feature Editor
Paul Polsky, Associate Sports Editor
Chris Houglum, Entertainment Editor
Lee O’Conner,
Women’s AITalrs Editor
Jaqi Thompson,
Political Affairs Editor
Editorial Board: Phil Sernas, Cliff San
derlin, Annette Buchanan, Bob
Holmes, Robin Tuttle, Chuck Pruitt,
Tom Nash, Dave McCloskey, Roger
Leo, Spencer Block, Jean Snider,
Mike Fancher, Hobert Carl, Krln De
Jonge.