What is S.A.F.E.R.?

Humboldt County is a point on the Emerald Triangle, a shape that outlines the areas in Northern California where marijuana is mass produced. Each point of the triangle marks the areas that are most involved in marijuana sales, yet Humboldt State University has not adopted the Emerald Initiative.

The Emerald Initiative is Safer Alternative’s response to the Amethyst initiative.

The Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (S.A.F.E.R.) works to get campuses nationwide to recognize that marijuana is safer than alcohol for students.

Students from the University of Boulder, Colorado, started Safer Alternative in 2005 after the alcohol overdose deaths of two Colorado college students.

Safer Alternative’s Web site says that in July 2008 more than 130 chancellors and presidents of universities and colleges across the United States gathered to debate lowering the minimum legal drinking age to 18 years old. They feel that lowering the age limit will lessen the culture of dangerous binge drinking on campuses. The result was the Amethyst Initiative.
The Amethyst Initiative calls upon elected officials to invite new ideas on how best to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol use.

Students nation wide launched the Emerald Initiative on April 1, 2010.

Safer Alternative executive director Mason Tvert said, “This is no joke. We chose this particular month because it is national alcohol awareness month.”

He said, “Our campaign is focusing on education and implementing student initiatives to change campus rules.”

In a 2007 study, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Task Force on College Drinking reported that alcohol use by college students contributes to approximately 1,700 student deaths each year. This includes a number of overdose deaths.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there are zero deaths attributed to marijuana overdose each year.

Asked whether alcohol or marijuana is safer, sophomore kinesiology major Justine Wah said, “Having tried both, I found one drug does not fit all. Its safety is dependent on the amount used and the person using it.”

Joel Jenson, a former HSU student, said, “I’ve tried both and feel excessive alcohol use seems to have more negative psychological effects than marijuana. Although use of marijuana can have negative effects on some in excess, in moderation, it’s okay.”

Tvert’s Web page says school officials send a dangerous message that fosters and perpetuates a culture of alcohol on campuses nationwide and drives students to drink rather than make the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead.

Tvert expressed on his Web page that it is time for colleges and universities stop encouraging college students to “drink responsibly” and start encouraging them to “party responsibly.”

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that more than 696,000 students are assaulted by others wile under the influence of alcohol. It contributes to about 599,000 student injuries each year, and more than 97,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.

Vincent Feliz, an HSU staff therapist, works with Student Affairs to provide counseling services to students who commit more than one alcohol- or drug-related infraction on or off campus.

Feliz said, “I view marijuana use and alcohol use in the same light. How do they affect students? The use of any drug in an abusive way can affect how a person functions, even caffeine.”

The S.A.F.E.R. California participants include CSUs Monterrey Bay, San Marcos, Chico and Fullerton, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose State Universities, as well as Mills College, Pasadena City College and University of Redlands. The participating UCs are Berkeley and Los Angeles.

Tvert said, “I contacted HSU for this event and received no response, though we have worked with students on this campus in the past.”

University Police Chief Tom Dewey gave some insight into why Safer Alternative is not present on this campus.

Dewey said, “The White House Drug Policy High Intensity Drug Trafficking Program came to Arcata in 2008 and warned HSU administrators that allowing illegal drugs on our campus could result in the US government withholding the significant money required to make HSU function, including federal work-study money and financial aid.”

Because Humboldt County is in a high marijuana trafficking area, the school is subject to greater scrutiny by the federal government whose use of soft power, the use of diplomatic means rather than force, would affect both the administration and the students of Humboldt State.

Dewey explained the action UPD takes in regard to alcohol and marijuana related infractions. “Both types of crime by students on campus will automatically result in disciplinary referrals involving Housing, Student Affairs or both,” said Dewey. “Each type of crime can range from very low-level misdemeanors to go-to-prison felonies.”

“An alcohol-related incident in which there was serious injury or property damage will be very seriously investigated, and the involved student will face harsh consequences,” said Dewey. “The same thing would be true if the student was involved in the sale or distribution of drugs in the residence halls.”

Feliz said, “It’s a matter of community respect. It would be unfair to decriminalize it in this way because it may have a negative effect of students who don’t smoke marijuana.”