Students at the University of Washington overwhelmingly approved a SAFER referendum on their spring student election ballot, voicing their opinion that univesity penalties for marijuana use should be no greater than those for student alcohol use. The measure, which passed by a 65-35 margin, was supported by the campus chapters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP).

Click here to see a quick write-up about the UW referendum on the "slog" of The Stranger, Seattle's primary independent news weekly. The campus newspaper, The Daily, also ran this story on the referendum. The Daily had previously run this story on the UW NORML/SSDP group, which was Student Organization of the Week back in March when the effort first got underway.

In passing a SAFER referendum, the students at UW join those at the University of Colorado-Boulder, Colorado State University, Florida State University, the University of Texas-Austin, the University of Maryland, the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, the George Washington University, and the College of William and Mary. SAFER resolutions have also been introduced in the student governments at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, the George Washington University, and Virginia Tech.  

Mayor Hickenlooper, you just won re-election in a virtually uncontested race and your police force can continue arresting adults in Denver for simply possessing small amounts of marijuana, a less harmful drug than alcohol. What are you going to do now?

 "I'm going to my brewpub to get wasted!"

In April, an overwhelming majority of students at the University of Washington in Seattle voted in favor of a SAFER referendum, calling for university penalties for marijuana use that are NO harsher than those for alcohol use. 

The students at UW join students at major colleges in Florida, Colorado, Maryland, and Texas, who have also approved SAFER referenda in student elections. SAFER resolutions have also begun to pop up on the agendas of student governments from Washington, D.C., to Fayetteville, Arkansas. The SAFER message is clearly getting out.  

If you are a college student and wish to get a SAFER campaign started on your university, please contact us and help us help you make your campus safer. SAFER does not have chapters, so we encourage students interested in running SAFER camapaigns to join or start campus NORML or SSDP chapters.