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Oregon Daily Emerald Friday, November 11, 2005 NEWS STAFF (541)346-5511 PARKER HOWELL EDITOR IN CHIEF SHADRA BEESLEY MANAGING EDITOR MEGHANN M. CUNIFF JARED PABEN NEWS EDITORS EVA SYLWESTER SENIOR NEWS REPORTER KELLY BROWN KATY GAGNON CHRISTOPHER HAGAN BR1TINI MCCLENAHAN NICHOLAS WILBUR NEWS REPORTERS JOE BAILEY EMILY SMITH PART TIME NEWS REPORTERS SHAWN MILLER SPORTS EDITOR scorn. ADAMS I.UKE ANDREWS JEFFREY DRANSFELDT SPORTS REPORTERS AMY L1CHTY PULSE EDITOR TREVOR DAVIS KRISTEN GERHARD ANDREW MCCOLUJM PULSE REPORTERS AJLEE SLATER COMMENTARY EDITOR (;ABE BRADLEY JESSICA DERLETH ARMY FEITI COLUMNISTS TTM BOBOSKY PHOTO EDITOR NICOLE BARKER SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER KATE HORTON ZANE RIFF PHOTOGRAPHERS KAITE GLEASON PART TIME PHOTOGRAPHER JONAH SCHROGIN DESIGN EDITOR JOHN AYR IS JONNY BAGGS MOLLY BEDFORD KERI SPANGLER DESIGNERS CHRIS TODD GRAPHIC ARTIST AARON DUCHATEAU ILLUSTRATOR DAWN HELZER REBECCA TAYLOR COPY CHIEFS JENNY DORNER BRYN JANSSON JOSH NORRIS JENNA ROHRBACHER MATT FT F’FANY COPYEDITORS STEVEN NEUMAN ONLINE/SUPPLEMENTS EDITOR TIMOTHY ROBINSON WEBMASTER BUSINESS (541)346-5511 JUDY RIBDL GENERAL MANAGER KATHY CARBONE BUSINESS MANAGER LAUNA DE GIUST1 RECEPTIONIST LUKE BELLOTTI RYAN JOHNSON RANDY RYMER CORRIENMUNDY DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISING (541)346-3712 MELISSA GUST ADVERTISING DIRECTOR MIA LEIDELMEYER SALES MANAGER KELLEE KAUFTHEIL JOHN KELLY LINDSEY FERGUSON WINTER GIBBS KATE HIRONAKA DES1 MCCORMICK STEPHEN MILLER KATHRYN O'SHEA-EVANS CODY Wl LSON SALES REPRESENTATIVES BONA LEE AD ASSISTANT CLASSIFIED (541) 346-4343 TRINASHANAMAN CLASSIFIED MANAGER LISA CLARK AN DO AMANDA KANrOR KEKI SPANGLER KATIE STRINGER CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ASSOCIATES PRODUCTION (541)3464381 MICHELE ROSS PRODUCTION MANAGER KIRA PARK PRODUCTION COORDINATOR JAMIE ACKERMAN CAITLIN MCCURDY ERIN MCKENZIE JONAH SCHROGIN TERRY STRONG DESIGNERS The Oregon Daily Emerald is pub lished daily Monday through Fri day during the school year by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Ore gon, Eugene, Ore. The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property. Unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. ■ In my opinion Hashing out the question of getting As various media have said, the Mile High City has finally lived up to its name; the city of Denver has made it legal for any adult, 21 or older, to carry up to an ounce of marijuana. This may be cause of celebration for some, but it would be best to pause before packing up and moving to Col orado: Even though the city says that marijuana possession is okay, the state says otherwise. That’s right, the city law goes against the state law; police will continue to ar rest and charge people for marijuana. Many who want to make marijuana le gal across the country hope this Den ver law will work as a stepping-stone for changing state laws and getting oth er cities to follow their lead. There are many people and organi zations that are making this argument for the free use of marijuana: The drug is not really harmful, at least not more so than alcohol and tobacco. My knee jerk reaction to this issue, and more specifically to this argument, is annoy ance. I have always believed that smok ing pot is a bad thing, which should not be done, just like using any other illegal or harmful substance. I, however, de cided that it would be best if I did a little research. There may be some truth to the argument that marijuana is not all that bad, but it has to be taken with a grain of salt when the words are coming from marijuana.com. In this quest for knowledge, it is best to look at Web sites from both sides of the issue, and, it just so happens, a good portion of the arguments against drug use come from the U.S. govern ment. Though many remain skeptical about our government, and that skepti cism is often necessary, there is a level of truth and logic that can be found on government Web sites. There is a level of credibility to an explanation that comes from the Drug Enforcement Ad ministration versus that which comes from a pothead running a Web site from his living room couch (or, better yet, dorm room). This lack of faith in the words of a pot smoker is furthered when the JESSICA DERLETH FREEDOM RINGS WHERE OPINIONS CLASH arguments are not backed up by hard data, current studies or citations. Thought there may be pro-marijuana sites with good data, they are not easy to find. Many of them, such as cannabisnews.com, have dozens of ar ticles praising the plant. In these articles there are plenty of “facts.” The articles refute the negative aspects of marijua na, but they do not cite specific studies or attribute their facts to a single source. There is no credibility to medical facts or statistics if there is no evidence that they come from a reputable source. Considering the lack of support for the data provided by the pot promoters, it seems best to turn to the Drug En forcement Administration. On the DEA Web site there is a slew of documented information about marijuana. The most compelling information is that which is linked to a specific study: The short-term effects of marijuana include: memory loss, distorted percep tion, trouble thinking and problem solving, loss of motor skills, decrease in muscle strength, increased heart rate and anxiety. Smoking five joints a week is equiva lent, in terms of cancer-causing chemi cals, to smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. In the hour after smoking marijuana, the risk of heart attack is five times higher than usual. Smoking marijuana lowers the white-blood-cell count, which weakens the immune system and raises the risk of lung infections. In the space of about 15 years, the strength of marijuana has increased. The data is clear, and it is blatantly obvious that marijuana is a horrible drug. As it is, many Americans smoke marijuana and making it legal would just lead to wider use and abuse. Some groups, such as Safer Alterna tive For Enjoyable Recreation, rightly point out that alcohol is the most com monly abused drug in America. SAFER argues that alcohol is also the most dangerous drug, leading to thou sands of deaths, car accidents and crimes. Taking that into consideration, marijuana should be made legal be cause it leads to fewer problems. This argument is absurd; just because alco hol is bad doesn’t mean that pot is good. It is true that alcohol can be a devastating drug, but that does not mean that we should start making oth er drugs accessible because there is the possibility that they will cause less damage. Arguments against alcohol do not further the argument for the le galization of marijuana, they simply work as an argument for prohibition. If marijuana were legalized, it would become more accessible, thereby mak ing it a larger problem and a lager threat. According to the National Insti tute on Drug Abuse, 20.6 percent of teenagers (12 to 17 years old) have used marijuana; this number jumps to 53.8 percent for young adults age 18 to 25. If this many young people are al ready using a dangerous drug, imagine how the number could skyrocket if adults were allowed to legally possess the drug. As dedicated as some college stu dents may be to the consumption of alcohol and marijuana, they need to be aware of what these substances are doing to their bodies. And with that awareness they need to realize that there are restrictions on these sub stances for a reason. These dangers need to be presented to college stu dents, teenagers and adults alike. Hopefully these individuals, especial ly as voters, will realize that the last thing this country needs is to have a dangerous drug legalized. jderleth@ daily emerald, com INBOX President Bush turns journalism dean? Some journalism deans 1 know had to cringe when they read the report of George Bush having staff take refresh er courses in ethics. That was a clum sy effort at damage control for some thing the administration has no intention of fostering, especially as one can’t “refresh” something that does not exist. In higher education, we have the perfect resource for those damage control needs: The public relations majors who, in receiving journalism degrees, demonstrate that ethics are as much a joke in journalism educa tion as in the Bush administration. George Beres Eugene Anti-abortionists tired of explaining injustice In response to Jocelyn Warren, who wrote the letter in regard to an Emer ald insert about abortion (“Advertising supplement spreads tired untruths,” ODE Nov. 9): You might be correct; we probably should stop all this talk about abortion causing cancer and any number of other horrific diseases. What we need is the straight and hon est truth. Abortion is the ending of an unborn life. Most societies call that murder, and in this case it’s complete ly unjustified — as in what did the un born child do to deserve it? I believe that anti-abortionists are just tired of trying to explain that it’s wrong, and have started searching for any means possible to try to persuade those that are selfishly choosing mur der as a means to prevent pregnancy. Warren jabs at the insert in the Emer ald, and refers to it as anti-choice. Not all, but most pregnancies started off as a choice. That being to have sex. One can argue all they want that we should n’t want parents with children they don’t want. Hard to go against that, but that’s why there is this program called adoption. As a man I will not try to fight your or any other woman’s right to choice, but abortion is not about choice, it’s about life. Shawn D. Garrett University Senior U.S. shouldn't compromise citizen, prisoner rights The core of American values has al ways been the inalienable rights of Mankind. This philosophy has set us apart and held us as a model for other nations. Since the Geneva Convention, America has exercised its founding philosophy by practicing humane treatment of prisoners. Every year the State Department issues a report con demning other nations of violating in ternational treaties that forbid “cruel, inhuman and degrading” treatment of prisoners. Now, the President and Vice President are calling for the exemption of the U.S. from that philosophy, al lowing for torture of foreign nationals by the CIA. Ostensibly this is to help us in a terror emergency, but how do you define an “emergency,” and who decides if the detainee is guilty? In the last few years, we’ve seen se cret prisons around the world where suspected terrorists “disappear” with out civil oversight, Red Cross registry, or any representation at all. Prisoners have been tortured and killed with little accountability. Even at home, under the guise of homeland defense, we are searched every time we travel by air; our Web browsing, e-mail, and library rentals can be secretly inspected; our phones can be tapped without justifica tion; and, we may even have to sign a “loyalty oath” just to attend a political rally where questions to candidates are pre-approved. Enough is enough! American poli cies must uphold the basic rights of Mankind! Jason A. Kilgore Junction City ■ Out loud “They’re toast.” — Eugene Emergency Program Manager Chuck Solin on what would happen to the cars beneath City Hall if a major earthquake hit Eugene. “If you’re looking for a big pile of waste, you’re not going to find it because we don’t have one. ” — University Environmental Manager Nick Williams on hazardous waste on campus. “It’s my dream.” — University President Dave Frohnmayer about his hopes to acquire as much land as pos sible in the east campus neighborhood in order to build a land bank for future administrations. “If we do not sell it we have no — zero — resources with which to acquire any of this property that the University needs.” — Senior Vice President and Provost John Moseley at the University Senate meet ing on why the University is hoping to sell Westmoreland Apartments. “How do you expect us to go forward when we are being told of the decision rather than de cisions being made by all?” — University Senator and biology professor Nathan T\iblitz on the faculty’s lack of in volvement in the administration’s decision to sell Westmoreland. “Is it lies, or are they really just as ignorant as they appear?” — Graduate student Joe Christison to the State Board of Higher Education regarding the University’s botching of the number of interna tional students who hold leases at Westmore land. The University originally said there were 25 but has since concluded that there are 87. “We went to learn about mushrooms and found out about everything. I can guarantee that universities in Armpit, Idaho, and Pooptown, Nebraska, don’t have a program like this.” — Eugene resident and mushroom enthusi ast Dan Shankle on the Outdoor Program’s day-long mushroom hunting expedition near Shotgun Creek. “I think everyone acknowledges that changes need to be made.” —Ward 1 City Councilor Bonny Bettman about the passage of Ballot Measure 20-106, which allows the city council to hire an exter nal auditor to review complaints against the Eugene Police Department. “Don’t be content with just getting a piece of paper from college.” — Film director David Lynch during a speech in Columbia Hall. “If you’re crossing as a pedestrian or a bicy clist, you kind of take your life in your hands.” — Ward 3 City Councilor David Kelly on the need for a traffic signal at Eighth Avenue and Mill Street near the new federal courthouse. “Hopefully someone with an open-door policy, even after they get their office at Johnson Hall.” — ASUO President Adam Walsh on what qualities he would like to see in the new senior vice president and provost. “I came in, grabbed a microphone and something crazy came out of me.” — Singer for The Crimes of Ambition Lisa Blue on her audition for the band. “It would require an heroic act of philan thropy to proceed.” — Frohnmayer in his State of the University address on what it would take for the University to get a new basketball arena. CORRECTION in "New diversity plan forthcoming," published Nov. 10, it was reported that Suzanne Clark is the cochair of the Diversity Executive Working Group. Clark is a group mem ber, but associate law professor Susan Gary is cochair.
