Oregon Daily Emerald
Friday, November 11, 2005
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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.