DAILY LOBO new mexico
Left Leaning see page 4
wednesday
January 26, 2011
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
your grandma’s spice rack Missing Not Smokeshops offer plethora of synthetic, pot-like products student found in Parish Library Staff report
news@dailylobo.com Former UNM student Colin Bentley, last seen by his mother Nov. 29, was spotted in Parish Library on Tuesday. A witness said Bentley was sleeping in the library. He was able to get into the building, which remains open 24 hours, using his Lobo ID card. A Parish staff member found Bentley at about 4 p.m., a witness said, and a UNMPD report was filed. Barbara Davis, Bentley’s mother, said she is relieved that her son is safe and credited the Tuesday Daily Lobo story in finding her son. She said she hopes he will still have a warm place to sleep, possibly still in the library. Zach Gould / Daily Lobo Synthetic marijuana is sold under the popular brand name K2 Spice. University Smoke Shop has more than 40 different K2 Spice varieties, including Route 69 and Serenity Now, which are sold for between $8-$15 a gram.
by Shaun Griswold shaun24@unm.edu
Colin Bentley
Considered a legal alternative to cannabis, synthetic marijuana is creating controversy surrounding its safety. Fifteen states banned smoke shops from selling K2 Spice, the most popular synthetic marijuana
brand, because of reports that users experienced intense nausea, increased heart rate and seizures. Albuquerque user Gabriella Pedregon, 19, said the experience was intense, but nothing she couldn’t handle. She said she first smoked Spice with a friend who was on probation. “It really put you out of it for a
while, like crazy,” she said. “Like really good weed, you are really, really up there. Then you come down. It also tastes horrible, like wood.” Legal steps to ban K2 Spice in New Mexico have only reached the county level. The City of Farmington and Luna County banned the product from being sold. So far, no bills have been introduced into the
New Mexico Legislature that permit a state-wide ban. Tara Mistra, of UNM Health Sciences Center, said introducing chemicals into the body in order to achieve a high is never a good idea. She said students looking for stress relief should find chemical-free
see Spice page 3
Students: No tuition credit, marriage bill the Legislature passed an additional 5 percent credit, tuition rose by 8.5 percent. “We are hoping legislators will do what’s right and not put the burden of funding other programs on college students,” he said. UNM will also ask the Legislature to implement across-the-board budget cuts at higher education institutions and allow departments to determine the areas they will cut funding from their budgets. Redefining marriage One representative is giving voters another chance to redefine marriage as between a man and a woman in the state’s constitution. Rep. Nora Espinoza (R-Roswell) introduced House Joint Resolution 7, or the Definition of Marriage Act, into the Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on Monday. “How a person chooses to live is not the issue,” Espinoza said. “We don’t want the definition of marriage to change.” The five-member committee, composed of three Democrats and two Republicans, will determine if the bill will be voted on by the full House of
by Shaun Griswold shaun24@unm.edu
The University is gearing up for UNM Day at the Legislature on Jan. 31, when University representatives will lobby lawmakers not to raise tuition as a means to alleviate budget shortfalls. Today, at 9 a.m., the House Education Committee will hear higher education recommendations for fiscal year 2012, and the meeting will be webcast on the New Mexico legislative website. ASUNM Chief of Staff Michael Thorning said his group’s No. 1 priority is to ensure no tuition credit is passed during the 60-day session. “The tuition credit acts more like a tax on students,” Thorning said. “It is a way for the Legislature to reduce the University’s overall allocation and divert funds to other programs.” UNM students saw an 8.5 percent tuition hike last year. Thorning said the University only recommended a 3.5 percent increase, but because
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 115
issue 85
Stephanie Gonzales / Daily Lobo Senator John Arthur Smith, chair of the NM Legislative Finance Committee, discusses the health budget Tuesday afternoon. The House Education Committee will hear higher education recommendations for fiscal year 2012 today.
Where are we?
Sudoku
see Legislature page 3
Level: 1
2
3
4
Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION TO SATURDAY’S PUZZLE
See page 2
See page 7 1/24/11
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