This 4/20, students at 50 universities around the country -- including many NORML and SSDP chapters -- used the traditional marijuana holiday to flood their campuses with flyers including information about marijuana and the fact that it is SAFER than alcohol.

The effort to "transform 4/20" from a holiday of marijuana use into marijuana activism certainly drew the attention of the press. Some of the better pieces included this story in the this story in the Boulder Daily Camera, this one in the Colorado Daily, a story and a positive editorial in The Maneater (Mizzou), and this story in the Daily Texan (UT-Austin), 

See below for the full press release and a list of the participating universities. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Colorado-based nonprofit Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) is coordinating the nationwide event, which will coincide with the traditional marijuana “holiday” of “4/20.” (See here for more on 4/20) Students at the 50 colleges -- including a number of campus chapters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) -- will spend the day on their campuses distributing information about the relative harms of alcohol and marijuana. The effort is intended to generate discussion about the potential danger of university policies that steer students to drink instead of use marijuana.

"Alcohol and marijuana are the two most widely used recreational drugs amongst college students," said SAFER Executive Director Mason Tvert. "We are taking the opportunity this ‘4/20’ to inform students that alcohol use can actually kill them and marijuana use cannot.”
 
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's (NIAAA) Task Force on College Drinking, every year there are approximately 1,400 alcohol-related student deaths, 500,000 alcohol-related student injuries, and 70,000 reported cases of sexual assault involving alcohol. There are no similar statistics surrounding marijuana use, which has never led to an overdose death in history and has never been cited as a contributing factor in violent or aggressive behavior.

"There is no rational explanation for universities penalizing students more for using marijuana than for using alcohol,” Tvert said. “Yet our nation’s laws and university policies continue to do so and send the dangerous message to students that alcohol use is more acceptable.”
 
SAFER began in 2005, in response to the highly publicized alcohol overdose deaths of students Lynn “Gordie” Bailey and Samantha Spady, which  occurred at the University of Colorado-Boulder and Colorado State University, respectively.
 
SAFER organized students and passed student referenda calling on administrators to equalize university penalties for student alcohol and marijuana use. In 2006, SAFER helped students at Florida State University, the University of Texas-Austin, and the University of Maryland pass similar referenda.

This spring, SAFER measures have been introduced at five more universities – the University of Arkansas, George Washington University, Virginia Tech, the University of Washington, and the College of William & Mary – and students have been engaged in educational SAFER campaigns on more than 20 other college campuses. These efforts have generated coverage of the SAFER campus movement on the front page of the Chronicle of Higher Education (view story), as well as in the Washington Post (view story), Denver Post (view story), and Dallas Morning News (view story).
 
Students at the following universities will be participating in SAFER’s 4/20 National Day of Education:

1. Appalachian State University (NC)                    
2. Arizona State University                               
3. University of Arizona                                    
4. University of Arkansas - Fayetteville
5. Ball State University (IN)
6. California State University - Fresno
7. Colorado State University
8. Community College of Denver (CO)
9. University of California - Santa Cruz
10. University of Central Florida
11. University of Colorado - Boulder
12. University of Colorado - Denver
13. University of Dayton (OH)
14. Drexel University (PA)
15. Emory University (GA)
16. Franklin & Marshall College (PA)
17. University of Florida
18. The George Washington University (DC)
19. Humboldt State University (CA)
20. Illinois State University
21. Indiana State University
22. University of Kansas
23. Metro State College of Denver (CO)
24. University of Maryland
25. University of Memphis (TN)
26. University of Missouri - Columbia
27. University of Montana
28. North Carolina State University
29. Northern Arizona University
30. University of Northern Colorado
31. University of North Florida
32. Ohio State University
33. Oklahoma State University
34. University of Portland (OR)
35. Rogers State University (OK)
36. San Diego State University
37. State University of New York - Albany
38. Texas State University
39. Truman State University (MO)
40. University of Texas - Austin
41. University of Toledo (OH)
42. Virginia Tech (activities canceled)

43. University of Washington
44. Washington State University
45. Western State College of Colorado
46. College of William & Mary (VA)
47. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
48. University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse
49. University of Wisconsin - Madison
50. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
51. Mesa Community College (AZ)
 
Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) is a Colorado-based non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the harmful consequences associated with alcohol, as compared to the safer—yet illegal—substance: marijuana. For more information, see http://www.SAFERchoice.org.