Student rallies urge marijuana over alcohol

What's a college party without the beer? Safer, says one group of activists called ... SAFER.

The non-profit group Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) aims to educate the public "about the relative harms of the nation’s two most popular recreational drugs: alcohol and marijuana," their Web site states. And on Thursday, California college students will rally to spread the same message.

Students will gather at San Francisco State University at 2 p.m. as part of SAFER's Emerald Initiative, which poses the question: "Why are we driving students to drink?"

The student activists will deliver copies of their Emerald Initiative to the university president's office. It was designed in response to the Amythyst Initiative, which addresses questions about lowering the drinking age in an effort to curb problems associated with alcohol.

The rallies, also planned for the San Diego State and Fullerton College, were set for April because it's National Alcohol Awareness Month. More than 80 colleges rallied on April 1 for the cause but SF State, SDSU and Fullerton were on Spring Break. Partying, no doubt, with some type of mind-altering substance.