Last Thursday was the first day of National Alcohol Awareness Month, and to mark the occasion, students on more than 80 college campuses across the country rallied last week to support marijuana as an alternative to alcohol, according to an April 1 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation — a national non-profit organization devoted to educating people on the relative safety of marijuana versus alcohol — organized the “Nationwide Day of Action” to promote marijuana as a safer alternative to alcohol.

According to the Chronicle, students who took part in the rallies asked their college presidents to sign the Emerald Initiative — a document promising “informed and dispassionate public debate” on marijuana use.

While 135 college presidents have signed the Amethyst Initiative — which calls for the drinking age to be lowered — none signed the Emerald Initiative when asked last Thursday, the Chronicle reported.