In a letter recently sent to members of the Denver Marijuana Policy Review Panel -- a mayor-appointed body of which Tvert is a member -- and other city officials, Tvert made note of how Pete Holmes, Seattle's new city attorney has announced he's dismissing all marijuana-possession cases that had been underway in the city and will no longer file charges for marijuana possession unless there are "out of the ordinary circumstances." The move is a response to a referendum Seattle voters passed in 2003 that made marijuana the lowest priority for local law enforcement.

The change came about Monday after The Durango Herald published a front-page story mentioning that FLC allows students with medical marijuana licenses to smoke on campus but not in dorm rooms.

Since then, FLC spokesman Mitch Davis said, circumstances have changed.

The article “inspired a great deal of discussion on campus," he said, and several department heads decided to enact a specific policy with regard to medical marijuana.

“Really, there was just confusion over whether there was an exception for medical marijuana or not," Davis said.

More than 40 years since Woodstock, Colorado is still having trouble figuring out what to do about marijuana. As that unfolds, some Fort Lewis College students are asking that as an infraction of school rules, pot users be treated the same as those caught violating the college's policy on alcohol.

It seems like a reasonable request. There is no reason college policy should arbitrarily deem one more serious than the other.

A new University of Michigan survey shows binge drinking among teenagers declined over the last year, but more tenth and twelfth graders used marijuana.

Panic time? Not for Mason Tvert, founder of SAFER (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation). He's repeatedly stressed that marijuana is less risky than alcohol, even writing a book on the subject (and promoting it with a little help from his mom).

This morning, Tvert is on a train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris -- the perfect opportunity to answer some questions about the survey via e-mail. Look below for a Q&A on the subject:

A student group at Fort Lewis College wants to revamp the Student Conduct Code to make marijuana offenses similar to alcohol offenses when it comes to disciplinary sanctions.

As it is now, marijuana use is considered a more-serious offense than alcohol abuse on campus, said Marissa Williams, a senior.

“We want to change these policies to at least equal status," Williams said. “We believe marijuana is safer than alcohol and should be treated that way."