University of Kansas freshman Jason Wren, 19, of Littleton, Colo., was found dead in a fraternity house Sunday afternoon following a night of binge drinking. The honor student and club lacrosse player had drank margaritas, upwards of a dozen beers, and whiskey prior to passing out and being put in bed by friends, according to his father.

"One week of fraternity living killed him," Jay Wren said. "He overdrank. Kids have got to understand alcohol is the worst."

This is yet another incredibly sad story, and we could not agree more with Jason Wren's father: young people must be provided with honest, evidence-based information regarding the relative harms of drugs. Unfortunately, most colleges and universities -- including KU -- continue to refuse to do so. Instead, they refuse to acknowledge the fact that marijuana is safer than alcohol, and that students would pose less harm to themselves and those around them if they used it instead of drinking. Nevertheless, most schools maintain iintellectually dishonest policies that punish students more for using marijuana than for using alcohol, and send a dangerous message that drinking is more acceptable than marijuana use.

SAFER issued a release today calling for a reexamination of alcohol and marijuana policies on college and university campuses nationwide.  The release also called on Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius -- President Obama's recently named selection for Secretary of Health and Human Services -- to assess the potential harm of university policies that penalize students more for using marijuana than for using alcohol.

SAFER's release included the following statement:

Jason Wren would still be alive today had he been using marijuana instead of alcohol while partying this past weekend. The fact that he would have faced harsher school penalties for doing so demonstrates just how irrational college policies are these days.

Universities nationwide are trying everything from encouraging students to drink responsibly, promoting 'social norms drinking,' and even, in some cases, proposing a lowering of the drinking age in order to curb dangerous student alcohol use. If Gov. Sebelius is confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, it is our sincere hope that she will reflect on this tragic alcohol-related student death in her home state and turn a critical eye to this issue. In particular, she should direct the Surgeon General, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to conduct a study to assess the potential impact of encouraging students to ‘party responsibly’ by using marijuana instead of alcohol, rather than encouraging them to ‘drink responsibly.’  Some may scoff at this idea, but this is literally a matter of life and death. It is time for our nation’s leaders to get their heads out of the sand and take this issue seriously.
 
President Obama said his administration would base its policies and actions on science and evidence. Gov. Sebelius could do just that by leading our nation's colleges in developing safer, more rational alcohol and marijuana policies.

Our nation's 'alcohol-only' policies have got to stop. It's time our colleges and universities stop teaching students to 'drink responsibly,' and start teaching them to 'party responsibly.'