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Daily Camera (CO): 'Emerald Initiative' at CU will challenge alcohol use |
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Written by Lance Vaillancourt
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Wednesday, 08 April 2009 |
News conference will advocate marijuana as safer alternative to boozeBOULDER, Colo. — Riding the coattails of a nationally supported effort to "rethink the drinking age," a pro-marijuana initiative will be introduced Wednesday on the University of Colorado campus that may just steal its thunder.
The Amethyst Initiative -- introduced in July and supported by more than 130 university presidents nationwide -- calls for an informed public debate about whether lowering the drinking age could potentially curb irresponsible alcohol use among college students.
Wednesday at noon, however, the Boulder-founded organization Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) will challenge the Amethyst Initiative by launching a public platform of its own -- the Emerald Initiative.
"SAFER is calling on college presidents and chancellors, particularly those who have signed on to support the Amethyst Initiative, to endorse a similar discussion on whether allowing students to use marijuana more freely could reduce dangerous drinking on college campuses," said Mason Tvert, the group's executive director.
Tvert and fellow supporters, including students from the Boulder
chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
(NORML), will introduce the Emerald Initiative at a news conference in
the fountain area on the north side of the University Memorial Center.
Sophomore Andrew Orr, outreach director for NORML@CU, said the student
group will do whatever it can to help promote the initiative, which he
feels will spark a necessary discussion about the differing health and
safety risks of alcohol compared to marijuana.
"It's not being discussed, it's being ignored," Orr said. "But if you
can recall students stumbling around campus, or ambulances whizzing up
and down the Hill on any given weekend, it's not because of marijuana.
"We're trying to get both the university and students to recognize the dangers of alcohol in comparison to marijuana."
As with the Amethyst Initiative, the Emerald Initiative will be
supplemented by a mission statement sent to and signed by supporting
college officials. It will also mandate a survey quantifying the health
and safety risks created on their campuses due to alcohol versus
marijuana use.
SAFER will conclude the news conference by delivering the mission
statement and survey to the office of CU Interim Chancellor Phil
DiStefano.
The event will be followed with a 7 p.m. screening of "Death By
Alcohol: The Sam Spady Story," and panel discussion titled, "Bold New
Approaches to Dangerous Drinking: From Lowering the Drinking Age to
Legalizing Marijuana," both of which will take place in Room 142 of the
Cristol Chemistry building. |
