URI Hempfest 4/20

URI Hempfest is our annual event promoting cannabis law reform. The event is a music festival on URI’s quad, featuring live bands, speakers, vendors and more! This year’s event will be on Saturday, April 20th from 3-11pm. Check out the facebook event pagefor more details. 

Bands:

FUNGUS AMUNGUS
ROZ RASKIN AND THE RICE CAKES
THE KOLOUR KULT
DYLAN SEVEY AND THE GENTLEMEN
BOO CITY
MATH THE BAND
VULGARRITY
AUSTIN HEVEY AND THE HEAVIES 

Presented by WRIU 90.3FM

Also featuring Vendors, Speakers, Glassblowing, a silent auction,and more! 

URI SSDP managed to get RI Gov. Lincoln Chafee on the record regarding taxing and regulating Marijuana.While it’s nice to see he supports an international debate regarding regulating marijuana and ending the War on Drugs, I wish he would do more as Governor to push these issues on the federal government.

fuckyeahdrugpolicy: “Cannabis is a truly global phenomenon. Reports on cultivation and seizures of cannabis and on sources of cannabis products illustrate that cannabis is not only consumed in all countries in the form of cannabis herb (marijuana), it is also grown in most of them.” — United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - World Drug Report 2012 (via The Joint Blog)
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fuckyeahdrugpolicy:

“Cannabis is a truly global phenomenon. Reports on cultivation and seizures of cannabis and on sources of cannabis products illustrate that cannabis is not only consumed in all countries in the form of cannabis herb (marijuana), it is also grown in most of them.”

— United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - World Drug Report 2012 (via The Joint Blog)

caseyleaks: So I got a behind the scene tour of the Slater Compassion Center today. It’s a medical cannabis dispensary opening up in Providence soon. It’s 16,000 feet and located in a former federal building. It’s HUGE. Sadly, the plants have yet to arrive as they just got approval from the state, a process that has taken 4 years. Pretty cool people all around. 
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caseyleaks:

So I got a behind the scene tour of the Slater Compassion Center today. It’s a medical cannabis dispensary opening up in Providence soon. It’s 16,000 feet and located in a former federal building. It’s HUGE. Sadly, the plants have yet to arrive as they just got approval from the state, a process that has taken 4 years. Pretty cool people all around. 

ssdpofuwf: anarcho-queer: Chicago Police Raids Wrong House, Demands 11 Month Old Raise Hands At Gunpoint And Kills Dog Chicago police terrorized six children in the wrong apartment, demanding at gunpoint that an 11-month-old show his hands, and telling one child, “This is what happens when your grandma sells crack,” the family claims in court. Lead plaintiffs Charlene and Samuel Holly sued Chicago, police Officer Patrick Kinney and eight John Does in Federal Court, on their own behalves and for their children and children. The six children were 11 months to 13 years old at the time. Plaintiffs Connie and Michelle Robinson are Charlene Holly’s daughters. The complaint states: “On November 29, 2012 in the early evening hours Charlene Holly was in the first floor apartment at 10640 S. Prairie in the front room helping minor Child #1, Child #2, Child #4, and Child #5 rehearse songs for their church choir. Charlene was also caring for Child #3, who was 11 months old. Child #6 was in the upstairs apartment alone. “Charlene and the children heard a loud boom outside and a voice cry out ‘Across the street!’ “Defendant Officers John Doe 1-8 burst through the door to the first floor apartment dressed in army fatigues and pointing guns at Charlene and the children. The officers yelled at Charlene and the children to ‘Get on the ground!’ The officers referred to Charlene and the children as ‘m—-f—-ers’ numerous times … “Charlene continually asked what the purpose of the detention was,” the complaint states. “Finally, an officer produced a warrant and handed it to Charlene. The warrant was for an individual named ‘Sedgwick M. Reavers’ and the premises listed was ‘The second floor apartment located at 10640 S. Prairie Ave. A yellow brick two flat building with the numbers 10640 on the front of the building.’ In other words, the warrant clearly identified the proper location as the second floor apartment. Charlene, Samuel, and the children were in the first floor apartment … The family claims that “the following day Charlene discovered the family dog, Samson, not in the basement where the family kept him, but in an upstairs laundry room. Samson could not have reached the laundry room without human assistance. On information and belief, defendant Officers dragged and choked Samson from the basement with the dog pole and left him in the upstairs laundry room unattended, where he died.” Samuel Holly also went to the police station the day after the warrantless search to complain, but “despite his numerous calls the night before, was told that he could not make a complaint and he ‘should have made a complaint last night,” the family says. This is why we need to stop the war on drugs.
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ssdpofuwf:

anarcho-queer:

Chicago Police Raids Wrong House, Demands 11 Month Old Raise Hands At Gunpoint And Kills Dog

Chicago police terrorized six children in the wrong apartment, demanding at gunpoint that an 11-month-old show his hands, and telling one child, “This is what happens when your grandma sells crack,” the family claims in court.

Lead plaintiffs Charlene and Samuel Holly sued Chicago, police Officer Patrick Kinney and eight John Does in Federal Court, on their own behalves and for their children and children.

The six children were 11 months to 13 years old at the time. Plaintiffs Connie and Michelle Robinson are Charlene Holly’s daughters.

The complaint states: “On November 29, 2012 in the early evening hours Charlene Holly was in the first floor apartment at 10640 S. Prairie in the front room helping minor Child #1, Child #2, Child #4, and Child #5 rehearse songs for their church choir. Charlene was also caring for Child #3, who was 11 months old. Child #6 was in the upstairs apartment alone.

“Charlene and the children heard a loud boom outside and a voice cry out ‘Across the street!’

“Defendant Officers John Doe 1-8 burst through the door to the first floor apartment dressed in army fatigues and pointing guns at Charlene and the children. The officers yelled at Charlene and the children to ‘Get on the ground!’ The officers referred to Charlene and the children as ‘m—-f—-ers’ numerous times …

“Charlene continually asked what the purpose of the detention was,” the complaint states. “Finally, an officer produced a warrant and handed it to Charlene. The warrant was for an individual named ‘Sedgwick M. Reavers’ and the premises listed was ‘The second floor apartment located at 10640 S. Prairie Ave. A yellow brick two flat building with the numbers 10640 on the front of the building.’ In other words, the warrant clearly identified the proper location as the second floor apartment. Charlene, Samuel, and the children were in the first floor apartment …

The family claims that “the following day Charlene discovered the family dog, Samson, not in the basement where the family kept him, but in an upstairs laundry room. Samson could not have reached the laundry room without human assistance. On information and belief, defendant

Officers dragged and choked Samson from the basement with the dog pole and left him in the upstairs laundry room unattended, where he died.”

Samuel Holly also went to the police station the day after the warrantless search to complain, but “despite his numerous calls the night before, was told that he could not make a complaint and he ‘should have made a complaint last night,” the family says.

This is why we need to stop the war on drugs.

Source: anarcho-queer

Our first meeting of the semester is TONIGHT at 7PM in Room 354 of Memorial Union. We’ll be talking Hempfest updates, other plans for spring events, and some new developments in the RI legalization effort. Hope to see you there!. 

Welcome back!

Hey Everyone,

Welcome back! Looking forward to another awesome year with SSDP. Here’s some news for the New Year.

  • Everyone fill out this form to figure out our meeting day/time for this semester. We’ll try to accommodate everyone as best we can so please make sure to fill it out ASAP!
  • I’m interested in tabling before our first meeting, so as soon as we have our meeting day and time secured, we can plan for that.
  • Keep thinking about potential sponsors/ other ideas for Hempfest.


Good luck this semester and see you soon,

Eric

Best Way to Protect Teens from Marijuana? Tax and Regulate.

This election season, voters in two states, Washington and Colorado, decided to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. These were not spontaneous events, and these votes weren’t decided by your stereotypical couch-locked stoner. In fact in Colorado, votes in favor of legalizing marijuana outnumbered those for President Obama, who won the state, clearly showing that those who support legalizing cannabis are just those who are just looking to “get high.” In fact, more and more average Americans are waking up the deeply disturbing effects that marijuana prohibition has had on our country. Just a few weeks ago, Indiana state Police Chief Paul Whitesell publicly called for the end of marijuana prohibition, saying if it was up to him, he’d tax and regulate the substance.

Despite the rhetoric that the war on marijuana is protecting our children, marijuana use amongst teens is still alarmingly high. That being said, states that have decided to implement medical marijuana programs have seen no negative impact in teen use rates. In fact, a study right here in Rhode Island showed that this state’s medical marijuana program led to no increase in use among teens. Similar studies have shown an actual decrease in teen use following the regulation of marijuana, showing that regulating the drug makes it harder for teens to get their hands on it. It’s simple logic, drug dealers don’t typically ask for I.D. Many teenagers, in fact, report that alcohol is much more difficult to obtain than cannabis, despite alcohol being a legal substance.

While legalizing marijuana in order to protect children may seem paradoxical to some at first, it’s clear that our current tactics of criminalizing use simply are not working. By legalizing marijuana, we can tax adult recreational use (which is clearly already occurring) while protecting children through sensible regulation which requires proper I.D, and strict penalties for those who sell marijuana to minors. In a future with legal cannabis, teens caught with the substance wouldn’t be sucked into the criminal justice system. Instead, teens would receive treatment for potential drug problems, while the registered store or individual responsible for teen sales could be brought to justice. Furthermore, the tax revenue made from legal cannabis, combined with the freeing of funds now used to arrest and prosecute marijuana users, could be used to help pay for the much underfunded programs that seek to help prevent and treat teen drug abuse.

A growing number of people are now speaking out about the failures of the War on Drugs. Last friday, a documentary was released on youtube, called Breaking the Taboo. Narrated by Morgan Freeman and featuring several current and former heads of state, including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, the film highlights how the War on Drugs and criminalizing drug possession has failed to reduce global drug use. The film also discusses how the Netherlands has less cannabis use than surrounding European countries, even though the dutch have de-facto legalization, where cannabis is sold to adults in tightly regulated coffee shops.

Many so called prevention organizations refuse to listen to the growing amount of criticism towards our nation’s cannabis laws. They think that more taxpayer money and harsher treatment of adult smokers will someday magically lead to an end of recreational cannabis use. The reality of their rhetoric is they focus on frightening parents who have honest concerns for their children, and they stay clear from discussing the nuances of drug policy, because they realize their arguments have little logical merit.

A common argument against regulation is that legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco cause enough damage to our teens, and that we shouldn’t add another drug to that list. This claim fails to acknowledge, however, that cannabis is less addictive than both of those substances, and chronic marijuana use has a substantially smaller health impact than abuse of legal drugs. Not to mention that both states that recently legalized dedicated a certain percentage of tax revenue to drug prevention and treatment, allowing for funding of programs designed to allow teens the education to make the right choices about all drugs. 

Another common argument from prohibitionists is that stoned drivers will wreak havoc following legalization, but driving while high will remain as illegal then as it is now. Regulation would allow police officers to focus more attention on intoxicated drivers anyways. We hardly blame alcohol companies for drunk driving, so why we should blame an inanimate substance rather than the irresponsible user who chooses to get behind the wheel?

Both of these arguments also rely on the fallacy that legalization will cause a dramatic increase in marijuana use. However, it’s clear that despite the current laws, the majority of people who have the desire to use cannabis recreationally are already doing so. Legalization critics ignore the fact that these policies that are desperately trying to save will continue to fail to curb marijuana use, just as they have failed since the beginning of the War on Drugs in the the 1970’s. We at Students for Sensible Drug Policy, as well as _a majority of Rhode Islanders_, believe that the only way we can protect teens from marijuana use is to legalize the substance for adult use. Only then will we be able to eliminate the black market and set up a system of sensible regulation in it’s place, one that actively works to keep cannabis out of the hands of our youth.

- Eric Casey, URI Students for Sensible Drug Policy, URISSDP.org

http://narragansett.patch.com/blog_posts/best-way-to-protect-teens-from-marijuana-tax-and-regulate

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