April 20, 2015

BARELY ILLEGAL THE CENTER OF AMERICA’S MARIJUANA DEBATE SHIFTS TO THE HEARTLAND

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EDITOR’S NOTE

arijuana is on the minds of many today, but that’s not the only reason we’ve devoted our annual in-depth issue to pot.

More than ever, legalization is becoming an issue of national and local significance.

Four states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana use. Twentythree states have legalized medical marijuana use. Still more, including Nebraska, host pending legislation that could forge a path toward legalization.

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, marijuana is responsible for an increasingly significant portion of students’ run-ins with the police. On-campus marijuana citations increased by almost 75 percent between 2010 and 2014. Citations are also on the rise in Lincoln as a whole.

Beyond the numbers is the story of a microcosm. Nebraska, a state deeply divided on social issues, seems to lie in the trenches of America’s War on Drugs. Its position next door to one of the nation’s legalization pioneers serves as proof that neighboring states can display radical differences – and that change in one place can irreversibly change the other.

Debate abounds, but solutions remain shrouded. One thing is clear: If Nebraska can find the answers, so can the rest of the country.

FRONT PAGE PHOTO BY ADAM WARNER | DN

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance in Nebraska, which means it’s considered to have a high potential for abuse and no recognized medical value.

(RIGHT) PHOTO BY ANDREW BARRY | DN

The marijuana plants grown at the Lodo Wellness Center in downtown Denver, Colorado, require powerful LED lights. The buds at the top of the marijuana plants are what are harvested for consumption.

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Marijuana 101 – The basics 4 A journey down Nebraska’s pipeline 6 Stiff penalties – Policing pot 8 An inconvenient marriage – Hemp and marijuana 9 Just say ‘no’ – Nebraska’s drug education 10 Changing perceptions – UNL opinions 11 Ground zero – The Heartland’s War on Weed 12 Border battle – Nebraska and Colorado 14 Medically divided – LB643’s origins 15 Meet the ‘budtenders’ – Colorado dispensaries 16 Boulder, Colorado – Turning a new leaf 17 Opinion – Student voices 18

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Marijuana: The dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate (female) cannabis plant that yield THC. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): The principal active chemical in marijuana that supplies its narcotic and psychoactive effects.

Hemp: A cannabis plant contain-

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ing very low amounts of THC, generally grown for its fiber.

Strains: Varieties of marijuana containing specific characteristics such as certain THC levels, physical effects, smells and colors.

Medical marijuana: Marijuana used to treat documented medical issues. In states where medi-

1. What happens when you’re caught with marijuana in Nebraska?

If it’s your first time and you have less than an ounce, expect a slap on the wrist – the maximum fine is $300, and the violation is only an infraction. Second and third offenses and beyond can result in higher fines and jail time.

They’re considered misdemeanors and can show up on your criminal record for job applications and the like. Possession of more than a pound is a felony and can result in jail time of up to five years and a $10,000 fine. Being caught selling marijuana is another story. Selling any amount is a felony in Nebraska and carries a mandatory prison sentence of one year.

cal use is legal, users must have doctor’s authorization to purchase the drug.

Recreational marijuana: Marijuana used for non-medical purpose.

Recreational use is legal in the states of Colorado, Washington and Alaska as well as the District of Columbia. Recreational use will

be legal in Oregon starting July 1.

Decriminalized status: If marijuana has decriminalized status in a state, possession of smaller amounts will result in a fine, but no criminal charges. Marijuana has decriminalized status in Nebraska, 16 other states and the District of Columbia.

2. What happens in your body when you smoke weed?

If your body is the stage and getting high is the feature production, let’s introduce the lead actors: Starring is Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical in marijuana that causes the drug’s well-known psychological and physical side effects.

Co-starring is anandamide, a neurotransmitter (you might remember these from Biology 101 – they’re chemicals that send messages from brain cell to brain cell) known as the “bliss receptor” for its association with memory, food cravings and, yes, bliss.

THC masquerades as anandamide in the brain, which shuffles up the balance of anandamide and dopamine, another neurotransmitter. That misbalance of chemicals causes the euphoria, munchies, forgetfulness and funny physical sensations that one associates with being high.

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3. Is marijuana worse for you than tobacco?

Probably not, at least when it comes to your lungs. Smoking marijuana does have negative effects on the lungs – smoking anything has negative effects on the lungs – because the act of burning things produces toxins and carcinogens. Various studies have linked long-term marijuanasmoking with chronic bronchitis, wheezing and phlegm production, while other studies indicate that some of the 80+ cannabinoids present in marijuana can have an anticarcinogenic effect. There’s no conclusive link between marijuana-smoking and lung cancer as there is between tobacco-smoking and lung cancer.

4. Can marijuana kill you?

No one has ever died from marijuana consumption, and research indicates that the amount necessary for an overdose is impossible for one person to consume. However, some opponents of the drug label it as deadly because of its ability to impair driving ability and judgment. As for whether longterm marijuana use increases risk of any deadly diseases, no study has yet found a conclusive link, although research is ongoing.

5. Is it addictive?

Depends on who you ask. Government agencies and anti-drug organizations have found that regular marijuana users may experience feelings of irritability and restlessness when they stop using the drug, which they say denotes addiction. Marijuana advocates argue such symptoms denote psychological dependence, not physical addiction. Marijuana’s dependence rate is lower than the majority of street drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco.

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6. What does the American medical community think about medical marijuana?

A WebMD study of about 1,500 doctors nationwide found that 69 percent of those surveyed say marijuana can help with certain medical treatments and conditions. The American Medical Association has urged the U.S. government to review the drug’s status as a Schedule I substance, which defines it as having no accepted medical use, but opposes legalization and calls the drug “dangerous” and “a public health concern.” Groups including the American Lung Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine caution against marijuana use, while the American Public Health Association and American Nurses Association support access to medical marijuana.

7. How could marijuana become legalized in Nebraska?

There are a few ways, some more likely than others. The first would be a federal move to legalize marijuana, removing its Schedule I classification and removing federal laws that prohibit possession. But such legislation wouldn’t likely require states to legalize the drug.

Nebraska legislators could also pass a bill to legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use – a bill to legalize medical use remains stalled in committee – but would face a sure veto from Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts. Or Nebraska could take the constitutional amendment route by gathering sufficient support from legislators or signatures from 10 percent of registered voters in order to spur a public vote. This approach has resulted in four states legalizing recreational marijuana since 2012.

NEWS@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM –COMPILED BY NEWS DESK ART BY IAN TREDWAY | DN

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A JOURNEY DOWN

NEBRASKA’S PIPELINE Opinions on marijuana vary across the 455 miles of Interstate 80 »Editor’s » note: The names of several residents were changed to protect their anonymity.

AUSTIN MOYLAN AND DANIEL WHEATON DN Andrea was never “one of those kids.”

That’s what she thought as she stepped foot inside of a Colorado medical dispensary for the first time. Andrea, a 28-year-old woman from North Platte, was diagnosed with cancer in March 2014.

Ultimately, tetrahydrocannabinol was the only thing that allowed her to get through her treatment.

Fortunately, the cancer was treatable. After several surgeries the following spring, she was on her way to recovery. But the chemotherapy that followed made things nearly unbearable. Her treatment came in cycles: first a large dose, followed by smaller ones.

“The first week of the cycle was always the roughest,” Andrea said. “One minute you’re taking the Benadryl, then the steroids. The Benadryl is trying to put you to sleep and the steroids are waking you up; it’s like they are fighting.”

The drugs made it impossible for Andrea to eat.

During the worst part, she had nausea, constipation and diarrhea — sometimes all at once.

“I had three days where I couldn’t eat,” she said. “I lost eight pounds in three days.”

Over-the-counter medication and prescriptions weren’t helping her combat the symptoms, so she asked her doctor what she should do.

The answer? A medical card.

Andrea never had any previous experience with marijuana. Growing up in North Platte, she knew people who used it, but never tried it before.

Because of ongoing discussions in Colorado, she was aware of the medical benefits for cancer patients and she was willing to give it a try.

Through edibles, she was able to eat normally again, and by smoking she was able to resume sleeping. Now back in her hometown and cancerfree, she hasn’t used marijuana since her chemo ended. Her use of the substance has been an open secret back in Nebraska.

“A few people would question me,” she said.

“But once I explained my situation they were convinced.”

Her views on the substance reflect that of many Nebraskans across the state. While Nebraska is one of the reddest states in the nation politically, the opinions on marijuana often stray toward the middle. The collective stance taken by Nebraskans on the issue of marijuana can be mostly boiled down to one sentence: Your business isn’t my business.

Nebraska’s laws, however, stand in stark contrast to that opinion. This disparity has led to ten-

sion throughout the state, especially as Colorado allows for recreational use.

THE POLITICS

While the apartments surrounding the Governor’s Mansion and Nebraska State Capitol are likely filled with the smell of marijuana on occasion, policy makers are still doing what they can to prevent that from happening.

“There’s virtually no discussion at a public policy level,” said Dr. Ally Dering-Anderson during a November 2013 NET documentary “Our highest policy leaders are as of yet, not having the discussion.”

Dering-Anderson is a pharmacist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

At the time, the only hints of public discussion before the November 2013 documentary were two petitions looking to bring marijuana-related issues to the 2012 and 2014 ballots. In 2012, there was an effort by the Nebraska Cannabis Coalition to bring the Nebraska marijuana legalization amendment to the November ballot. By July of 2012, supporters of the amendment needed to have collected more than 115,000 petition signatures. The group failed to accumulate enough signatures and the proposal died.

Within weeks after the petition failed in the summer of 2012, another organization, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for Nebraska, filed for a moderately less ambitious proposal aimed for last fall’s 2014 ballot: the legalization of medical marijuana. The issue didn’t even get a chance on the ballot after they too failed to get the signatures of 10 percent of Nebraska register voters.

The organization is a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. with 135 chapters throughout the country. The group’s primary work focuses on changing public and political opinion on the issue of marijuana, with the ultimate goal of legalization.

Despite these failures, John Smith, the executive director of NORML Nebraska, said he isn’t without hope.

“We (NORML Nebraska) are currently trying to get medical marijuana legal,” Smith said. “We’re on our third petition drive right now and we also have a bill in our legislature for medical marijuana. In our legislature, if everyone in the judiciary committee voted the way they said they would, it should be going to the floor very soon.”

While there are seeds of support in the Unicameral, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts hasn’t been as supportive. Smith said he feels Ricketts is “hinting that if it goes across his desk, he will veto it.”

Then, Smith and his supporters would need a two-thirds vote in the unicameral to override the veto. It isn’t just the governor who is opposed; Ne-

braska’s judicial branch is adamant as well.

“If it changes someday, well then it changes,” said former Attorney General Jon Bruning in the documentary. “I’ll enforce the law as it’s written.

But I’m pretty old-fashioned. I mean, I just don’t see it being a great idea to make marijuana or anything else legal that alters the mind.”

Bruning took his statements one step farther late last year. Colorado allowed stores to sell recreational marijuana open on Jan. 1, 2014, and during the following year, Bruning must have seen enough to decide – together with Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt – to file a December 2014 lawsuit, which claims that Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana infringes on neighboring states’ rights and puts strain on its judicial systems.

Bruning served as attorney general until this past January, when Doug Peterson was inaugurated as the 32nd attorney general of Nebraska.

Peterson’s views on the issue are virtually the same as Bruning’s, and he will continue to press forward with the lawsuit against Colorado.

“It’s not Nebraska’s position to stand idle and watch Colorado’s failed experiment as it spills over to our state,” Peterson said in a column he provided to the Daily Nebraskan about the issue. “There’s no question that Colorado’s marijuana practices have and will continue to harm Nebraskans and thus it’s incumbent upon Nebraska to take action.”

Peterson continued by laying out details that pertained to his concerns, calling Colorado’s situation a “costly social experiment” and citing a number of research studies that reinforced the often-controversial classification of marijuana as dangerous to the health of its users, especially adolescents.

The nation has become more “pot friendly” since the 1990s and Nebraska is no exception, even if it has been at a slower rate. A 2002 poll by Lucas Organization and the Arlington Research Group found that nearly 64 percent of Nebraskans polled would be supportive of legislation supporting the legalization of medical marijuana for seriously ill patients.

With growing political shifts on a range of social issues, it’s likely that a similar poll would have even more support today.

“As for lawmakers dragging their feet on this issue, it’s a head scratcher,” said Bryan Boganowski, a member of the Omaha chapter of NORML. “You would think they would stand on the right side of this issue with the majority of their constituents and support medical reform here in our state. The more stories of these senators ducking and dodging this issue and even dodging patients trying to meet with them in the capitol, the less likely they will get elected back to represent us.”

THE PIPELINE

Drivers heading east on Interstate 76 are warned: Possession of marijuana is illegal in Nebraska. That road merges into Interstate 80; Nebraska’s most important road and a national artery for drug traffickers.

Lines of tension are building in towns in western Nebraska. Brooke Jones, a University of Nebraska medical student who grew up in Kimball, Nebraska, said Colorado’s move was a shock to the community — because they knew that legalization would mean the steady flow of marijuana would continue through their community.

“It makes Nebraska look bad that people are bringing it to the state and distributing,” Jones said.

“They’re making money illegally here.”

As several Kimball residents who asked not to be named said the use of marijuana in their community is something of an open secret. Those that use it recreationally know others that do, but for those who don’t, it’s easy to ignore.

Around Kimball, a town of about 2,500 people, Jones and other community members have noticed an increase in policing by the Nebraska State Patrol.

It’s no surprise, as Kimball sits in the corner of the panhandle.

Still, the nearest dispensary in Sedgwick, Colorado, takes more than an hour to reach by car.

Two hours to the east, North Platte mirrors some of the sentiments on weed as Kimball. Andrea said her parents never really discussed the subject, although her mother would sometimes joke about using it growing up.

Data obtained from the Nebraska State Patrol reveals a “weed pipeline” along Interstate 80.

From Jan. 1, 2013, to March 26, 2015, most arrests for marijuana were made on the major highway, all the way from Big Springs to Omaha. NSP director Deb Collins said the legalization in Colorado didn’t cause a marked increase — only 11 percent more arrests were made in 2014 compared to 2013. Lincoln County, where North Platte is located, had 428 arrests during that period. Comparatively, Lancaster County had 368.

Lincoln County has had the most arrests made by the State Patrol during the past two years. As of March 26, 2015, 161 arrests of possession of an ounce or less of marijuana have been made along Lincoln county’s highways. Being one of the larger cities in between Denver and Omaha, it is likely to become a rest stop for anyone bringing weed to the eastern portion of the state.

In Nebraska’s Tri-Cities area, access to marijuana mirrors that of Lincoln and Omaha. Because of the size of Kearney, Hastings and Grand Island, dealers aren’t difficult to find. It’s here that many young people from smaller towns congregate, and cultural and political shifts edge closer toward a political middle ground.

For Michael, a 19-year-old student at Hastings

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015 | 7

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ART BY DUNCAN REED | DN

Number of marijuana arrrests made by the Nebraska State Patrol from Jan. 1, 2013, to March 26, 2015. Data obtained and analyized by Daniel Wheaton and Reece Ristau.

College, marijuana allowed him to break out of his shell. He took his first hit as a sophomore in high school and smokes fairly regularly. He estimates he spends about $300-$400 on weed a month.

A self-described “weird kid who used to only play video games,” he said smoking expanded his social circle.

“It just sort of exploded,” he said. “It’s like ‘this guy smokes,’ so then we would go from being kinda friends to actually being friends.”

His mother, an educator in the town, knows he smokes. This caused tension between them, but Michael said he defies the “lazy stereotype” of someone who smokes by pursing a degree.

Inside a “Regular Show” drawstring bag, he holds several large buds of marijuana about the size of a plum. The buds are speckled with orange crystals, THC. After several grinds, he loads his blue hand pipe. It’s named Goku, because “it looks like a Kamehameha.”

Smoking has brought more spice to Michael’s life. During the winter, he accidentally lit his hair on fire because he was smoking outside with a particularly small hand pipe. He had a mark on his forehead for three weeks afterward.

“It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever done,” he said.

“On pot.”

Several patrons in a Hastings bar Miscues, describe the town has being reasonable on the subject. One Hastings College student who asked not to be named estimates that up to a quarter of his classmates smoke on occasion, and that “townies” don’t care what you do as long as it’s not harming everyone.

Back on the interstate, the Nebraska State Patrol find drug traffickers frequently. During the ‘70s, these drug busts used to yield 40 or 50 pounds of marijuana. Now that number has tripled. Between 2007 and 2012, the number of arrests made for the sale, manufacturing and transporting of marijuana in Nebraska increased by nearly 40 percent. In comparison, the number of similar arrests for almost

ever other drug decreased by a significant amount over the same period of time, some by over 40 percent. In 2012, the number of arrests made for possession of marijuana was nearly four times the amount of all other drugs combined. Marijuana’s detractors say that this puts an unnecessary amount of strain on county and state budgets, and that tax dollars should be put to better use elsewhere.

Peterson stressed the fault on Colorado, citing statistics from the Nebraska State Patrol that confirmed “approximately twice as much marijuana is seized from Colorado as that trafficked from Mexico and California” and that the costs of State and County law enforcements “continue to rise.”

Despite this, only 25 percent of the law enforcement officials surveyed felt that the legalization of marijuana, medically or recreationally, would be an effective legislative proposal. Instead, nearly 60 percent felt that increased penalties would solve the issue.

As the “weed pipeline” enters Nebraska’s largest cities, the culture shifts as well. While the libertarian views of the western part of the state remain, more people are vocal about weed in Lincoln and Omaha.

Mark, a sophomore student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has seen that difference firsthand. He grew up in West Point, a town of about 3,000 people in northeast Nebraska, but says he was never really exposed to marijuana until moving to Lincoln. He said he believes that is largely because of an cultural difference between small towns and cities.

“In high school, whenever we saw people or heard of people that smoked marijuana, we kind of thought down on them,” Mark said. “I was never offered marijuana. It just wasn’t looked upon as a good thing and the people that did it looked like they were a bunch of losers. I graduated from high school and came down to college, was exposed to it a little bit more and one of my friends offered it to me. I gave it a try, loved it and

saw that it really wasn’t as big of a deal as I was making it.”

Unlike West Point, things like weed are easier to hide in a city like Lincoln. In the two years Mark has lived in Lincoln, his stance on the issue has changed dramatically.

“I think (legalization) would be a good thing,” Mark said. “It would help the economy statewide. You look at Colorado’s economy, it’s gone up quite a bit since they legalized. We wouldn’t have to worry about so many drug trafficking stuff going on between the states, cops pulling people over.”

But while Mark is pro-legalization, he also thinks it will take a lot of time for Nebraska to change its stance as a whole.

“My opinion is, I do not see Nebraska budging on legalizing marijuana until maybe the last possible second,” Mark said. “I feel like they’ll be one of the last states to legalize it, just like gay marriage. I feel like they’re going to be one of those states, just because they are too conservative. I see it changing on a federal level before I see it changing in Nebraska.”

He views lawmakers’ conservative attitudes as an unwillingness to start a conversation. It’s easier to turn a blind eye, he said.

THE NEXT STEPS

Smith, the executive director of NORML Nebraska since 2010, said he believes the two sides may be closer than many realize.

“When I first started, most people weren’t even willing to talk about it,” Smith said. “It helped with Colorado being so big in the marijuana movement.”

Before that, he said people didn’t have the courage to bring it up.

“Even though they may have been for medical marijuana, they were afraid to talk to their neighbor about it because they were afraid of how they would be perceived,” he said. “Then, come to find

out, the neighbor was for it too. The discussion has really opened up well in the last few years.”

Once an unspoken taboo left hidden away in basements and back-rooms, marijuana is slowly coming out of the shadows. From Kimball to Lincoln, those who smoke for fun, medical need or not at all say the same thing: be responsible.

“I think it’s like alcohol,” Andrea said. “If people are going to smoke, do it somewhere safe where you won’t injure others.”

After going through the suffering of cancer, Andrea said her perspective on life has completely changed. She is happy that she lives in her hometown, surrounded by friends and her family.

Now that more people know that she has consumed marijuana, Andrea said several friends have offered to buy for her in Colorado, and bring it back to North Platte.

She has politely refused.

Once a marijuana teetotaler, she said she feels compelled to push for people like her to use medical marijuana when the need arises. As for recreational use, she sees it the same way she sees alcohol.

Still, the emotional and sensory high can become almost addictive for some. Assuming Nebraska allows for legalization, people statewide will have to grapple with effective education on the substance.

“Don’t let it take hold,” Michael said. “Don’t let it become anything more than a hobby, or become a lifestyle. Be able to drop it whenever you need to.”

Smith guesses that Nebraska will legalize medical marijuana in the next few years, with recreational use following behind. That’s assuming the federal government doesn’t do something beforehand.

The future of marijuana laws will remain hazy – for those who partake or don’t. For now, culture and laws remain in a political and social stalemate.

NEWS@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

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MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IN NEBRASKA MAY RAISE UNEXPECTED COMPLICATIONS, LAW OFFICIALS SAY JUSTIN PERKINS AND COLLEEN FELL DN It’s no secret that Nebraskans like to get high.

Nebraska law enforcement has acknowledged marijuana’s budding support among the public.

Set between increasing tolerant views of the drug, Nebraska law enforcement officials have worked along a tight line of more liberal punishment policies with comparatively stricter enforcement practices.

“Nebraska was probably at the forefront of recognizing they needed to make a distinction between simple marijuana possession and use, versus people who either possess much more hazardous type drugs and those who are selling it,” said Capt. Chris Peterson, leader of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Taskforce.

In 1979, Nebraska became one of a handful of states to first decriminalize marijuana, meaning that no prison time or criminal record is given for a first-offense possession of a small amount of marijuana used for personal consumption. Oregon was the first state to decriminalize cannabis in 1973, with Colorado, Alaska, Ohio and California in 1975, followed by North Carolina, New York, Maine and Minnesota.

Nebraskan’s overall attitudes of the drug have also changed over the past two decades, said Tom Casady, Lincoln’s public safety director.

This has also reflected a national trend. Last year, a Pew Research Center poll found that a majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana for the first time since the center began polling on the issue in 1969. Overall support for legalization was favored by 52 percent of Americans — a 7 percent increase from the previous two years.

“There’s not as much social reprobation now,” Casady said.

According to Nebraska law, a first offense for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana counts only as an infraction, with no jail time and a maximum fine of $300. A judge may also order the offender to complete a drug education course. Other Schedule I drugs - such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines - are felonies for possession as well as felonies to sell.

Twenty-five other states, such as Oklahoma, still enforce stiff penalties. Under Oklahoma law, a first offense possession of any amount of marijuana will lead to jail time.

Nebraska counts a second and third offense as a misdemeanor, with possible jail time of five and seven days, with a maximum fine of $400 or $500. Nebraska does not count marijuana pos-

STIFF

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PENALTIES

session as a felony, unless the amount weighs more than one pound. Under Oklahoma law, any secondary offense is a felony, with a possible sentence of two -10 years in prison.

Nebraska law, however, does not particularly look kindly on marijuana possession, as it remains a highly enforced throughout Nebraska.

In fact, according to a 2010 American Civil Liberties Union report, based on statistics from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s annual report, Nebraska ranked No. 13 among states -including the District of Columbia - that spend the most per capita on enforcement for marijuana possession. This is about $13 million for Nebraska, with D.C. at No. 1 with $44 million per capita. Seventy-three percent of all drug arrests in Nebraska were for marijuana possession.

Likewise, in 2010, Nebraska ranked third in the nation of states (including the District of Columbia), with the highest overall marijuana possession arrest rates at 417 per 100,000 people in contrast to the national average of 256.

In 2010, Lincoln Police Department issued 1,191 marijuana possession citations. By 2014, that number increased by more than 40 percent to 1,695 citations, the highest since 2000.

A similar trend occurred among University of Nebraska-Lincoln students in that same time period. In 2010, 49 students were issued marijuana possession citations. In 2014, that number increased by almost 75 percent to 86 studentissued citations.

One possible factor may be the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, but Casady said Nebraska’s overall attitude toward the drug has been changing over the past two decades.

Casady said a majority of marijuana citations are given out along with other law violations. A majority of marijuana citations, he said, happen during traffic violations. An exception, which Casady said rarely happens, would be a search for growing operations.

“There’s not a big priority to go out and look for it,” Casady said.

Over his 13 years with the narcotics unit, which operates as an interagency collaboration between LPD, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and the UNL Police Department, Peterson said the largest change he has seen is the type of marijuana that is being seized. He said they are seeing Colorado marijuana become more prevalent.

“The marijuana available today is more of a medical or higher grade marijuana, which tends to have a higher THC content,” Peterson said. “For that reason, we’ve also seen it become more expensive in some places.”

Nebraska was probably at the forefront of recognizing they needed to make a distinction between simple marijuana possession and use, versus people who either possess much more hazardous type drugs and those who are selling it.”

CAPT. CHRIS PETERSON head of the lincoln/lancaster county narcotics taskforce

Marijuana’s availability, as well as the number of dealers, has remained constant, however.

Compared to other illicit drugs in the Lincoln area, which are often prone to high fluctuations in availability and cost, Peterson said marijuana has remained a stable factor, mostly because of its relatively stable supply.

“Marijuana has always been a constant here,” Peterson said. “It’s also a drug that tends to span most every age range, educational background and socioeconomic class.”

Peterson said the narcotics unit investigates drugs on the basis of public safety and what he calls “solvability” factors. Depending on community need and the ability to corroborate and investigate certain reports, Peterson said his team then prioritizes cases to determine how best to allot department resources.

He gave an example of a number of reported heroin overdoses 18 months ago that resulted in a number of deaths, which then became their highest concern.

While many of their investigations in Lincoln rely on a balance between undercover operations, traffic stops and criminal investigations, Peterson said the narcotics unit’s primary source of information relies on public reporting.

“We have always consistently had marijuana complaints through the Crime Stoppers program, or just members in the community calling and reporting incidents,” Peterson said, adding that public reports also tend to be the best gages for the drug’s availability in the area.

While public perception has helped shift the way marijuana has been enforced in the Lincoln area, law enforcement and public health officials remain wary of the practicality of its legalization.

“Many people that believe we have a lot of inmates in our jails and our state correctional facilities for possessing or smoking marijuana, and that’s simply not the case,” Peterson said.

“Given the societal position, it generally just doesn’t happen, especially not as often as 20

years ago.”

Though attitudes may be changing, a change in law towards legalization may raise more complications than people would think, Casady said.

While advocates for marijuana legalization believe it would lead to fewer arrests and citations, in addition to less time and money spent by law enforcement, the consequences of legalization remain unclear.

“The reverse would probably happen,” Casady said.

He said legalizing recreational marijuana could be more of a burden for police to enforce.

Similar to enforcing alcohol laws, additional money would be required training officers to handle marijuana enforcement. Casady said marijuana would need policies for issues like DUIs or serving after-hours.

“We currently spend an awful lot of resources on alcohol,” he said.

UNLPD Assistant Chief Charlotte Evans said one big concern, should marijuana be legalized, is the aspect of safety.

Like alcohol, she said, marijuana may cause people to be “safety hazards to themselves or others.”

Still, Evans said she’s unsure of how it would change UNL’s campus or UNLPD’s protocols.

“We just don’t know what it would look like,” she said.

Sen. Al Davis, who introduced a bill earlier this year (LB 189) that sought to clarify terms of marijuana enforcement, said he would not be adverse to continue to loosen restrictions on marijuana in Nebraska.

“As we observe how states like Colorado fare under legalization, I think Nebraska will naturally react to these outcomes,” Davis said.

“I think first, we need to see what kind of social impact these laws are going to have.”

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a marriage of inconvenience

Hemp fails to excel as industry due to misassociation with cultivated marijuana PHOTO BY TYLER MEYER | DN

Regardless of the intended use, it’s illegal for citizens to cultivate cannabis in Nebraska. While it grows naturally with low quantities of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) all over the state, its misassociation with marijuana is a key component in the federal government’s decision to ban the cultivation and use of hemp. In 2014, the ban that was put in place more than half a century ago was eased by a Nebraska legistlative act that allows University of Nebraska campuses to grow cannabis for research purposes.

KATJA DUERIG DN It’s hard to believe that pristine rows of budding marijuana plants in high-tech cultivation facilities are the same as bushy ditch weed on the side of the highway, but they are certainly both cannabis.

The main separation between the two is their use.

Marijuana that is cultivated and sold is meant to be ingested or smoked for a high. The weed in the ditches, more commonly known as hemp, can be used for clothing, fuel, food, plastics, soaps and moisturizers.

The level of active chemical, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), content and breeding strategies also differ. Tom Clemente of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Plant Science Innovation said these traits basically make hemp and cultivated marijuana different plants.

“For hemp, when you want it for the fiber, you grow it very compact,” Clemente said. “Straight up; you want the stalks, not many leaves. For smoking, (you want) short, lot of flowers, specifically female flowers.”

Cannabis is dioecious, meaning the male staminate and female pistillate occur on different plants, with some exceptions. Female plants have a much higher THC content, thus growing facilities are full of only females. Ditch weed is the tall, fibrous male cannabis.

Though hemp and marijuana both contain THC, hemp has drastically less; usually less than

1 percent. Cultivated marijuana usually contains between 3 and 10 percent THC and tops out at 37 percent.

Smokers who live near ditch weed have speculated on combining their marijuana strains with the wild cannabis, thinking the THC-potent flower added to a hearty structure will produce some sort of super-plant. Clemente advises against this plot.

“You’re going after two different traits,” he said. “For the hemp, you’re going after the fiber.

The energy’s going to be going to the fiber. You want something you want to smoke, you want that energy to go towards the female flower, the THC. So that’s a stupid idea.”

Though hemp and marijuana are biochemically different, they have been legally lumped into the same category. That means hemp hasn’t been grown industrially for decades — but the ditch weed remains due to hemp’s endurance, ability to grow in marginal lands and its dispersion by birds.

Hemp was first grown in the US for the British Navy, and then for the US Navy after the American Revolution. Thomas Berg, a UNL history lecturer, explained the history of the American hemp industry and its association with marijuana.

The remarkably strong fiber was used for hand-made rope and cable stays at the time. It took 55 to 60 tons of hemp to supply a large ship.

Soon, Berg said, hemp became a tremendously important commodity.

“At this time there’s not even a hint of the

concept of marijuana,” Berg said. “Because the marijuana-bearing plant and the hemp are different plants. But later these are going to be kind of cross-identified.”

As the 20th century approached, recreational drugs such as opium from China and marijuana from Mexico started making their way into America. It was during this time when people began to identify hemp and marijuana as the same plant.

Progressives lashed back against the new drug culture, their rationale more or less racist, in hope that a drug-free nation would be a kinder, gentler nation.

The government created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930, near the end of the Prohibition era. In 1937, Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which prohibited hemp growth without a permit. Berg said this law largely curtailed the American hemp industry.

Despite the stigma, the plant still had incredible value for the navy. The Philippines was America’s No. 1 hemp supplier in World War II, but the country was occupied by the Japanese in early 1942. The U.S. government had to get creative.

“The federal government in 1942 says, ‘We need hemp,’” Berg said. “So it goes from being nasty bad to, ‘We need hemp; it’s your patriotic duty to grow hemp.’”

Government officials handed out hemp seeds to farmers, with the largest turnout coming from Kentucky and Wisconsin. But because of an increase in food demand during wartime and the

lack of a hemp business infrastructure, the industry never again reached its previous prosperity.

Because of its association with marijuana, hemp vanished once more after World War II. This was when the director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics infamously labeled pot as a “gateway drug” at a time when drug use (besides alcohol) was seen as the antithesis of the American dream.

Berg said the misassociation of hemp with cultivated marijuana and the misassociation of marijuana with harder drugs has prevented hemp from continuing as an industry.

“It’s the marriage of marijuana in with the real hardcore drugs,” he said. “The cocaine and opiates, morphine, opium and all. And then later the new concept of drugs, like LSD.” Today, hemp is gaining support in the U.S. Industrial hemp growth, once outlawed in Nebraska, got the green light from the legislature last year on a small scale — University of Nebraska campuses are authorized to grow the substance for research purposes.

Nebraska Sen. Norm Wallman, who sponsored the bill to allow hemp growth for research, was optimistic last year about the substance’s future.

“After we do research and see what seeds would work in Nebraska and the federal government expands industrial hemp, I think this could be a product that any farmer could grow.”

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JUST SAY ‘NO’

Officials say drug education won’t change regardless of new laws BRETT NIERENGARTEN DN Nebraska’s high schoolers aren’t quite as high as their peers nationwide.

Twelve percent of high school students in Nebraska reported to smoking marijuana within 30 days of a survey conducted in 2013.

According to the same survey done by the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, 23 percent of high school students nationwide reported they had smoked in the previous 30 days.

This is the information that Renee Faber, Substance Abuse Prevention System coordinator for the Division of Behavioral Health in Nebraska, is trying to spread. The message in the division’s drug education programs is: Not everyone is doing it.

Several different drug education curriculum shave been implemented with funding from Faber’s division.

According to Faber, past drug education programs in the state have focused on discipline and scare tactics, which she said is not effective in most cases.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln freshman biochemistry major, Matt Baier, said the scare tactics were the kind of drug education he was exposed to while attending Lincoln North Star High School.

“We talked about drugs, but it was basically just hearing that drugs are bad and that’s all we got out of it,” Baier said.

Lincoln Public School’s drug education programs are based on National Health Education Standards and haven’t changed since the ‘90s, according to LPS Curriculum Specialist for Health and Physical Education Marybell Avery.

Avery said she does not know how much money LPS or the state puts into drug education each year.

At North Star, as in all of LPS schools, the only drug education students receive is one class their sophomore year. That class covers a variety of health issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, alcohol and drugs.

Avery also said the reason for only having one class is because it’s difficult to allot the time in the class schedules of high schoolers, the district runs into the same problems at the elementary level.

LPS has no way of gauging the effectiveness of this classes, according to Avery.

Baier, who does not smoke, said that class was the only sort of drug education he received. He went to North American Martyrs Catholic School in Lincoln through middle school. Baier said in elementary school it was “taboo” to even mention drug use and he said that lead to more students experimenting with marijuana when they got older.

“We were really sheltered,” he said. “I know a lot of people who went to Martyrs or other catholic schools who are very rebellious in high school and college.”

If Baier had gone to elementary and middle school in LPS, he would have had a much more extensive drug and health education, starting when he was in kindergarten. At 5 years old, LPS students

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AMBER BAESLER | DN

Nebraska’s high school marijuana use is lower than most states, but educators still have to address the topic in classrooms. are already identifying ways to refuse tobacco. In first grade, they are expected to know what an alcoholic beverage is and learn how to refuse one when they are in second grade.

Clinton Elementary School principal and former Park Middle School principal Terry Neddenriep said that at a young age, students should be more focused on the core subjects of math, reading and science.

“In elementary school, they have so many areas to cover that by the time they get to that health curriculum it’s more an introduction to it,” he said.

“But in seventh and eighth grade those teachers have been trained specifically and have had professional development around healthy choices and drugs and alcohol.”

Neddenriep said in elementary school, students should focus more on growing strong personal relationships with their teachers and have a person they can look up to, especially at a highpoverty school like Clinton.

Students are not expected to identify the harm of marijuana until seventh and eighth grade, which Neddenriep said is a good time.

“The readiness level is there,” Neddenriep said. “I think it’s a pretty good match of where they

are developmentally and the information they are having shared with them.”

LPS has many objectives that need to be met each year and their health education programs focus on decision-making, nutrition and handling stress as much as drug prevention itself.

“Our teachers do a great job following the district objectives and delivering instruction effectively,” Avery said.

Nebraska is a local control state, which means each district controls its own decisions about the curriculum.

The drug education programs Faber is trying to implement are not curriculum-based and are not ones that intend to scare: They intend to empower.

“I think the biggest strength of programs targeted at youth are the ones lead by youth,” Faber said. “We want to target what they think rather than coming in as an adult and saying ‘this is what we think.’”

She said she doesn’t just want to tell students that drugs are bad and not do them. The programs her division funds not only present facts about marijuana and drug use, but they find a way to make them meaningful.

“There’s a lot of emphasis on what other

healthy activities can be chosen,” Faber said.

Although marijuana use in high school is not as common in Nebraska as other states, it’s still an issue and use continues to grow with the everchanging social scene.

The legalization of marijuana in Colorado to the west has lead to more young people believing that there are no longer side effects of smoking it.

In 2010, 25 percent of high school students believed using marijuana resulted in great harm. That number has decreased to 16 percent in 2014.

“If people were just more informed, I feel like they wouldn’t smoke as often or even start smoking,” Baier said.

The same study revealed that in 2008, 39.83 percent of people who used marijuana more than once a month believed it was a great risk. In 2012, only 29.8 percent of people who used marijuana multiple times a month believed it was a great risk, a decrease of more than 10 percent in just four years. As perceived risk decreases, substance use increases.

Avery said fewer people seeing risk in marijuana will not change the drug programs in LPS. “Our approach relates to good health practices, which do not change when laws change,” she said.

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changing perceptions UNL students from all sides of the issue weigh in on marijuana legalization

% saying the use of marijuana should be legal.

If marijuana were legal would it bother you if...

68%

Millennial (1981-97) Gen X (1965-80)

Yes

82

Boomer (1946-64)

52%

Silent (1928-45)

50%

43%

No

MELISSA ALLEN DN Since his arrival on campus 12 years ago, Matt Hecker, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln dean of students has noticed an increase in pro-legalization sentiment among students.

“It’s a college thing, I think,” said Hecker.

“It’s an easy-access drug. It has qualities about it students find attractive. You smoke it and you get mellow.”

When students leave home, they sometimes “experiment,” Hecker said.

“I wouldn’t call it a problem tahe same way alcohol is a problem,” he said. “But the increasing trends are problematic.”

Last year, Colorado joined Washington, Oregon and Alaska in the legalization of marijuana. As a reaction, Nebraska and Oklahoma filed a joint lawsuit against the state for the flow of contraband over state lines, where marijuana is illegal.

The controversy is divided between political, religious and scientific affiliations. Those who are pro-legalization often cite its medical benefits for cancer patients, its lack of harmful effects and addiction and argue its legalization would result in a population reduction in correctional facilities and prisons. The opposition maintains the dangers of marijuana as a gateway drug and health hazards due to toxicity.

“Has (marijuana’s) time arrived?” Hecker asked.

According to a 2014 study by Pew Research, pro-marijuana legalization is outrunning the opposition with a 52 percent majority. This is a dramatic shift from the 1969 Gallup poll with 12 percent pro-marijuana legalization.

Trends come and go with narcotic use, said Sgt. John Backer of the UNL Police Department.

“Social acceptance (of marijuana) has certainly increased, so one would guess there’s also been an increase in (marijuana) use,” Backer said.

Last year, 86 students were cited for possessing the substance, an increase of nearly 50 percent from 2010.

If Nebraska legalizes marijuana, UNLPD might have to change its strategy for narcotic citations, said UNLPD Sgt. Jerry Plessel.

“We will follow whatever laws state legislature decides and enforce them,” he said. “We’re bound by law.”

Katrina Zeleski, a sophomore English major, said she believes legalization of weed would be beneficial to Nebraska’s economy and state penitentiary. Zeleski opposed legalization in high school, based on stereotypes she had heard of those who use pot.

“But since I’ve come to college I’ve met a lot

SUPPORT OF LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA BY GENERATION

SMOKING MARIJUANA IN PUBLIC VS AT HOME

34%

29%

21%

62

15%

57

1969

1980

1990

2000

2010

2015

Source: Pew Research Center.

41 SLIM MAJORITY SUPPORTS MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

33

% saying the use of marijuana should be...

100% Illegal

84%

15

Legal

81%

75% 63% 66% 53%

60%

50% 44% 31%

30%

People used marijuana in public

A business selling marijuana opened in your neighborhood

People used marijuana in their own homes

32%

25% 12%

16%

0% 1969

1980

1990

2000

2010

2015

Source: Pew Research Center.

Source: Pew Research Center.

ART BY IAN TREDWAY | DN

of people who have helped me understand the truth about cannabis,” she said. “I think there are much bigger issues our government should be concerning themselves with than cracking down on people who enjoy a bowl now and then.”

The increasing pro-legalization sentiment may be due to the generational gap of people within voting age, said Michael Stenzler, a senior political science major.

“I also think momentum is gaining because there’s more mainstream acceptance for marijuana,” said Stenzler, the president of UNL Young Democrats who said his opinion isn’t representative of the Young Democrats. “It’s a pop-culture symbol, and it no longer has a stigma against it. It’s not a taboo anymore.”

Although not a marijuana smoker, Stenzler said he believes legalization could stimulate the economy.

“The longer it stays illegal, the longer we limit ourselves,” he said.

The benefits of Colorado’s legalization doesn’t outweight the costs, said Sierra Ramsay, a senior journalism major.

Ramsay looked into the advantages and disadvantages of legalization and marijuana drug use after members of her family and friends started using it. A member of the Latter Day Saints Students Association, Ramsay said she believes in the organization’s message of free agency: figuring out your own opinions through research and prayer, she said.

“Seeing what has happened from Colorado’s legalization has reaffirmed my belief that it’s not right for Nebraska,” she said, adding that she does not speak on behalf of the Latter Day Saints Students Association. “It’s causing problems in the panhandle, with people going to Colorado and bringing back marijuana.”

Jim Jansen, the director of Collegiate Outreach for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, said he supports anti-legalization for Nebraska. His opinion does not represent his organization.

“I think Nebraska would be well-served with patient observation of the facts,” said Jansen, but said there is one reason he is personally against marijuana legalization.

“The antidotal information on recreational

pot use doesn’t seem to be too positive,” he said. “It’s not associated with scholarship, achievement and healthy living.”

Ramsay said a close friend of hers from high school began using marijuana during college, and that use has led her friend to harder drugs and rehabilitation.

“I still love her, but I saw how controlling (marijuana) became for her,” Ramsay said.

“They say it’s not addicting, but for her it was.”

Ramsay’s cousin has gone through a personality change since he began using the drug.

“He is so kind-hearted,” Ramsay said. But now he has become “disconnected,” and has moved to Colorado.

Ramsay is also against pot use because of the effects she’s seen it have on the decisionmaking and health of those close to her.

“I don’t believe in the abuse of any controlled substances, but for me, I have the moral belief in taking care of the body the heavenly Lord gave to me,” she said.

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Ground

Zero

The Heartland stands at the epicenter of America’s debate on marijuana legalization PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RAGHAV KIDAMBI | DN

A bill in the legislature seeks to make Nebraska the 24th state to adopt a medical marijuana program, but Gov. Pete Ricketts would likely veto it if it were to pass.

ZACH FULCINITI DN When Nebraskans, regular citizens and elected officials, think of medical marijuana, Shelley Gillen doesn’t want them to think of hippies or stoners feigning back pain or anxiety to get their doctor’s recommendation. She wants them to think of her 13-year-old son, Will.

Will has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that is notoriously difficult to treat.

He suffers from “multiple types of seizures and developmental delays,” and his treatment regimen at one point involved taking 22 medications every day.

Gillen is hoping, despite her increasing frustration with the state and federal government, that Nebraska will become the 24th state to adopt a medical marijuana program. Whether LB643, the Cannabis Compassion and Care Act, passes and whether it has the votes to overcome the inevitable veto from Gov. Pete Ricketts who does not support

medical marijuana, will give a good indication of whether Nebraska will legalize marijuana some time in the near future.

Marijuana policy, both medical and recreational, is a pivot point for America’s entire century-long War on Drugs. Nearly half of the states in the Union have taken a legal position that is at odds with the federal government’s conclusion that marijuana has a “high risk for abuse” and has “no accepted medical value.” Nebraska, deep in America’s heartland, is a near-perfect reflection of that inherent contradiction, of the thought war going on between generations whose perceptions of marijuana could not be more divergent.

Nebraska represents, better than any other state, marijuana’s complicated status, and consequently, the fate of the longest war America has ever fought.

THE HEARTLAND’S DRUG WAR

Anyone else would have been in violation of the law, state and federal.

But Brian Gaughan was a police officer. Buying drugs wasn’t a recreation for him; it was a vocation. For several months, he had worked as an undercover narcotics officer, building relationships with drug dealers while also building cases against them, so they could eventually be arrested and prosecuted.

“I didn’t like my job at all,” said Gaughan, who spent his first year on the force at the Davenport Police Department in Iowa, before moving to the Arlington Heights Police Department in Illinois, where he immediately starting working undercover.

An experience he had during that time would eventually cause him to quit the force.

Gaughan had been buying cocaine from a man in Arlington Heights who lived at home with his mother. One day, Gaughan showed up to make his buy, but the man wasn’t there. So, his mom invited him in to talk.

“She wanted to talk with me, and ended up telling me how glad she was that I had become

friends with her son,” Gaughan said. “She went on to tell me that she knew I was a good person, and was glad that her son was now hanging around with ‘good people.’ She told me that since her husband died, her son had been hanging around with the ‘wrong crowd’ and was glad I was there to be a good influence in his life. I left and wanted to fucking vomit. I was there to put her son in jail. I wasn’t a good friend of his. I wasn’t there to ‘serve and protect’ anyone. I was there to put someone in a cage. I went back to the station and asked to not be working narcotics anymore.”

Gaughan was put on patrol duty. He remained a police officer in Arlington Heights for several years, doing his best to protect and serve and not “screw people over.” Eventually, he realized that if he wanted to serve people, he would need a different job altogether. And so he left the force and went to work for the fire department in Glenview, Illinois, where he spent 23 years.

For decades, Gaughan said, drug enforcement has been the top priority of police departments all

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015 | 13

DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM across the U.S., the main reason being that it’s their most profitable enterprise.

Starting with Richard Nixon’s declaration of a “war on drugs” in 1971, and escalating with Ronald Reagan’s administration in the 1980s, the U.S. government has incentivized police departments to focus on drug dealing, trafficking and even simple possession by offering sizable grants and allowing departments to keep assets seized during arrests and raids. These forfeitures often include large amounts of cash and stockpiles of firearms, not to mention the drugs themselves.

And one of the most important things to understand about the drug war, said Long Island University drug policy specialist Sheila Vakharia, is that it really is that recent of a phenomenon.

“Drug prohibition has only existed in the U.S. for 100 years now,” Vakharia said. “Starting with a federal policy passed in December of 1914, which impacted opium derivatives and cocaine.”

The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 was the federal government’s first effort at regulating recreational drugs. Much like today, the federal government’s most pressing concern was drug abuse.

Because the Union Army utilized morphine heavily to treat its injured soldiers during the Civil War, many veterans became addicted, and at the time the drug was widely available and easily accessible. Morphine addiction was so prevalent among Civil War veterans, so much so that it came to be called “soldier’s disease.”

Marijuana, which Reagan would in 1980 call “probably the most dangerous drug in America,” and which was the cause of 52 percent of all drug arrests in the U.S. in 2008, was a much smaller concern at the time.

But even then, said Vakharia, there were efforts to restrict marijuana along with morphine and cocaine, despite it having a much less sinister reputation. That reputation would change in a few short decades with the likes of “Reefer Madness,” and where those prohibition efforts failed on the federal level, they were picked up again on the state level and had considerably more success, with 27 states prohibiting cannabis before Congress intervened and passed the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.

That success, and the success of drug prohibition in general, is in part based on racism.

“The roots of American drug prohibition were very much grounded in racism and xenophobia, playing off and/or creating societal fears of ‘the other,’” Vakharia said. “Opium was associated with Chinese immigrants, cocaine was feared to make blacks powerful and unwieldy, and marijuana was associated with troublesome Mexicans. Our government was very invested in making these drugs appear dangerous and harmful to one’s health, with or without credible evidence.”

Mexican migrant workers who had come to the U.S. around the turn of the century looking for employment and better economic conditions also brought with them marijuana, which was their preferred intoxicant. As law professor Charles Whitebread noted in his speech “The History of the NonMedical Use of Drugs in the United States,” many of the states the Mexicans moved into in large numbers were not aware of marijuana. And so efforts to outlaw the drug played on xenophobic fears.

A Montana lawmaker sponsoring a law prohibiting marijuana said, “Give one of these Mexican beet field workers a couple of puffs on a marijuana cigarette and he thinks he is in the bullring at Barcelona.”

These racist fears, said Rice University drug policy expert William Martin, no longer play a significant role in perpetuating marijuana prohibition, but they play an integral role in its enforcement.

“Blacks are 3.75 times more likely to be arrested and three times more likely to go to jail (than whites for marijuana),” Martin said. “They are low-hanging fruit. It’s easy to arrest black people without getting much kickback from the white community.”

Last August, the American Civil Liberties Martin added, is that he was trying to assume as Union of Nebraska released a report critical of ra- much power as he could for his agency. The FBN was created at the same time as the FBI. The two orcial disparities in state law enforcement. The report noted that in Lincoln, where black people make up ganizations had some interesting similarities. They 3.5 percent of the population, they made up 9.6 per- were both headed for several decades by just one person: For the FBN, it was Anslinger, and for the cent of drivers stopped by police.

The disproportionate impact of the criminal FBI it was J. Edgar Hoover. And both of these men justice system -specifically the war on drugs-on were willing to do virtually anything in the pursuit of power. black people has eroded the trust between black “[Anslinger] wanted to build up something to communities and the departments that police them.

“Even though whites use drugs at the same rival the FBI,” Martin said. “He was responsible [for prohibition] more than any other person. But the rate as non-whites, people of color are arrested at an exceedingly higher rate than whites are,” Gaughan fact that he was able to use these arguments indicated that there was an audience for the arguments.” said. “People don’t feel comfortable at all going to The next testimony on the tax act came from the very same [officers] who tore apart their apartment, stop their car once a week and illegally search representatives of industries that would have been it for drugs, to report information on a serious affected by marijuana restrictions. Most of them testified that, while hemp was one of America’s first crime. They do not view the police as an organization that they can trust; the police are viewed as the crops, it had eventually become cheaper to import, and so it wasn’t necessary to continue growing it. enemy.”

Only one industry spokesperson, a representaDespite making up less than 14 percent of the tive from a birdseed company that used hemp seed, total U.S. population, black people make up almost 40 percent of the prison population. The Na- testified that hemp should remain legal.

When a congressman asked if they could subtional Survey on Drug Use and Health found that stitute a different seed, the man said, “No, congresswhites and blacks use drugs at nearly the same rate, though, and that white people are actually man, we couldn’t. We have never found another more likely than black people to have a “substance seed that makes a bird’s coat so lustrous or makes them sing so much.” abuse” problem or to sell During WWII, a time drugs.

Our country’s drug when imports became far One in three black less viable, the U.S. made a males can expect to spend policy has been an legal exception and resumed time in prison during his growing hemp. The governlife. The U.S. incarcerates absolute failure,” said ment even produced a promore of its black popula- Gaughan” paganda film called “Hemp tion than South Africa did for Victory,” encouraging at the height of apartheid.

BRIAN GUAGHAN farmers to grow hemp to The U.S. prison population former police officer support the war effort. in total makes up 25 perThe last round of tescent of the entire world’s timony on the bill came from the medical field. A prison population.

Temple University pharmacologist testified that he A number of states have laws preventing convicted felons from voting or receiving government had injected the “active ingredient” in marijuana into the brains of 300 dogs, and two of them had benefits, and many employers refuse to hire felons, died. That “active ingredient” was not synthesized increasing the likelihood that they will return to crime to survive and become repeat offenders. The in a laboratory until after WWII. The last person to testify was William WoodU.S. recidivism rate, or the percentage of inmates who will return to prison in their lifetime, has been ward, chief counsel to the American Medical Association, who said, “The American Medical Asmeasured, by various institutions, as somewhere sociation knows of no evidence that marijuana is a between 51 and 67 percent. dangerous drug.”

“Our country’s drug policy has been an absoOne member of the congressional committee lute failure,” said Gaughan, who is now an officer and public speaker for Law Enforcement Against responded, “Doctor, if you haven’t got something better to say than that, we are sick of hearing you.”

Prohibition. “The amount of money spent on this The federal government had already made its insane war on drugs is estimated at $4 trillion in the mind up about prohibiting marijuana, and the bill past four decades. Sixty percent of federal inmates are there for drug convictions. Police themselves passed without a hitch.

The arguments for continued prohibition of are often times victims. Supporting the continumarijuana are as diverse today as they were nearation is actually supporting criminal enterprises, ly 80 years ago when the policy began. Some still street gangs, drug cartels and all the violence they argue that it’s a dangerous drug, despite studies bring into our communities.” showing that its negative effects pale in comparison And despite the mounting evidence that the war on drugs is more trouble than it’s worth, prohi- to the effects of legal intoxicants such as alcohol and tobacco. Some believe it is a gateway drug and will bition has persisted. Much like the reasons the U.S. lead to harder drug use. This theory has been partly got into the prohibition business in the first place, discredited as well. the reasons why it has persisted are complicated.

The 1972 report of President Nixon’s Schafer To discover why the issue has become so complicated, the first place to look is the Congressional Commission, also known as the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, concluded testimony on the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Harry that fears about marijuana use were seriously exagAnslinger, commissioner of the recently created gerated, although Nixon more or less ignored the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now known as the Drug Enforcement Agency) testified on behalf of report, and in part addressed the idea of it being a gateway drug. the government, in support of prohibition, stating, “One of the surveys asked, what percentage “Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in of marijuana smokers do you think go on to use its users insanity, criminality and death.” heroin?” Martin said. “And the public’s estimate Anslinger’s continuing justification for mariwas 70 percent. When they asked marijuana smokjuana prohibition evolved over time.

“Anslinger first said it would make you wild,” ers how many had gone on to use heroin, it was 3 percent. It’s not crazy to think that people who go Martin said. “And then during WWII, he argued that it would make people passive, they wouldn’t on to other drugs smoked marijuana first. It’s just a fact that it doesn’t lead to that for most other people. be fit to be soldiers. Anslinger was willing to use The majority of people who use marijuana never any argument.”

The reason he was willing to use any argument, even think about using cocaine or heroin.”

While some of these arguments are ostensibly logical, Vakharia said that many of them rely on emotion to retain their influence. And even if this generation of politicians no longer buy into those arguments, they in many cases hold strong with the previous generation of both politicians and citizens.

“I’m not judging it, because emotions can be tremendously powerful motivators for action,” she said. “Some of these emotional arguments are the belief that marijuana is harmful, dangerous, a “gateway ” drug, and must be controlled. Any flexibility on this would be a compromise for the public health and safety. The immorality of intoxication and pleasure: Flexibility on a mood-altering drug for pleasure is a compromise on the values of sobriety. These arguments can make it politically challenging for a politician to stand up for legislation, for fear of coming off as immoral, uncaring for youth or ‘soft on crime.’”

And arguably the most powerful influence in the continuation of the war on drugs is law enforcement. This is true for a number of reasons, the first one being that law enforcement, specifically Anslinger and the FBN, were responsible for its escalation in the first place.

And now that police departments have a financial incentive to continue the drug war, they are highly resistant to any policy change that may result in decreased revenues and inevitably, downsizing.

“Police unions know how much of their budget comes from asset forfeiture and federal grants for drug control,” Gaughan said. “They see the demise of the war on drugs cutting into their membership.

They also know how much time, effort and energy is put into the drug war. Without a drug war to fight, there would be no need for as many law enforcement officers as we have today.”

In Colorado, which became the first state to defy the federal government’s marijuana prohibition in 2012, the Association of Chiefs of Police opposed the legalization initiative. Law enforcement groups also opposed legalization in California and Alaska, and Drug Enforcement Administration chief Michele Leonhart has been adamantly opposed to legalization of what she called “an insidious drug.”

There are exceptions, however, and an increasing proportion of law enforcement representatives have voiced support for ending the drug war and/ or legalizing marijuana. A survey by PoliceOne, an online law enforcement publication, found that 44 percent of respondents believe marijuana should be legal. Another notable exception is the Seattle Police Department, which even before Washington passed a legalization initiative, maintained marijuana enforcement as a low priority.

The general population has already signaled support for marijuana legalization: A recent Bloomberg Politics poll found that 58 percent of Americans expect legalization to occur in the next 20 years.

And Gaughan himself is vocal about his support for legalization.

“The whole concept of putting someone in a cage because they grew, possessed or were caught smoking a plant just seems so ridiculous to me,” he said. “One question I asked elected officials in Nebraska was this: ‘Who do you think should be in charge of setting the rules and regulations controlling the manufacturing, growing, distribution and sale of cannabis? Street gangs and drug cartels, or elected officials through the legislative process?”

And the reasons for this evolution are, like the reasons for prohibition itself, complicated. And since it’s become a state-by-state issue such as gay marriage, different regions of the U.S. have found different reasons to support reform.

One of those reasons is priority: While drug enforcement is currently the highest priority in law

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A BATTLE BETWEEN NEIGHBORS A visit to the Nebraska-Colorado border paints contrasting portraits of small-town USA JACY MARMADUKE DN The sign at the border reads, “Welcome to Colorful Colorado,” but where western Nebraska meets its neighbor on Interstate 80, most everything is brown -the dried grass and weeds bordering the road, the railroad track scampering alongside it, the innumerable tree trunks and phone lines.

For the last year and a half, though, discussion on either side of the sign has revolved around a different color: green.

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado has sparked many questions but few answers in small communities on both sides of the border. Nebraska law enforcement officers are unsure how to shoulder the heavy workload that has resulted from marijuana crossing state lines at what seems a higher rate than ever before. And Colorado law officers are finding themselves bound to enforcing laws they don’t agree with.

COLORADO

Sedgwick County Sheriff Tom Hanna describes his home county as “small-town USA.” His office in the courthouse in Julesburgthe county’s most-populous town- sits beside a public library, a handful of antique shops and a general store where you can buy a bicycle, rent a movie or get a dollar cup of coffee under the same roof.

Hanna and his staff of five are the sole source of law enforcement for the county of 2,348 people. Sedgwick County has a low population density of about four people per square mile, a high rate of poverty - 19 percent - and a high proportion of elderly residents – 24 percent of residents are 65 or older.

It’s also home to the marijuana dispensary closest to the Nebraska border: Sedgwick Alternative Relief, which boasts the title of “the first dispensary in Colorado” on its website. The dispensary, the only in the county, formerly operated out of a double-wide trailer, but recently moved into an old grocery store.

Sedgwick, with a population of about 150 people, voted for recreational marijuana sales in an effort to bolster tax revenue. A $5-per-transaction fee goes to the town.

“We had no money to pave the street or buy a new grader,” Lupe Pena-Casias, a former Sedgwick town board member and owner of a bed and breakfast across the street from the dispensary, told The Washington Post in July. “We lost our school. Our post office is down to half time. We were just dying. I just thought we had to do something, even though I don’t smoke marijuana - never have.”

Hanna said the people of Sedgwick had “dollar signs in their eyes.”

“I haven’t seen the overnight transformation which I think everybody wanted in the town of Sedgwick to clean it up,” he said.

“They did improve one building, but the rest of it is pretty run down. The residents haven’t seen their share.”

The rest of Sedgwick County has voted for moratoriums on dispensaries, but community leaders may put the issue to another vote in the next few years. Marijuana-related cases haven’t increased for the county because officers and the district attorney are empowered to use discretion, Hanna said. The county rarely prosecutes marijuana cases unless they involve major distribution or children, Hanna said.

Regardless, he said legalization has opened “a can of worms” for Colorado law enforcement officers, who have seen an increase in DUIDs – driving under the influence of drugs – and a new set of training requirements.

The state is scrambling to complete training for about 1,300 officers who haven’t received the credentials to determine whether a driver is under the influence of marijuana, Hanna said. And officers must be well-versed in Colorado’s possession laws, which mandate that a person can’t have more than one ounce of marijuana; open container laws, which mandate that the marijuana must be sealed and out of arm’s reach in a vehicle; and age laws, which prohibit possession by anyone younger than 21.

Hanna supports a lawsuit by six Colorado sheriffs imploring the state to overturn the Constitutional amendment that legalized marijuana. But he said he doesn’t know if it stands a chance in court.

“When I was sworn into office, I took an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and the laws of the state of Colorado,” Hanna said.

“I’m in violation of law by not arresting anybody with marijuana, as far as the federal level goes. But I don’t prosecute federal laws; I prosecute Colorado laws.”

NEBRASKA

In many ways, Cheyenne County, Nebraska, is the opposite of its Colorado neighbor.

It has more people – 10,418, to be exact – and double the population density of Sedgwick County. And it has growth, with about $300 million in projects bolstering its county seat, by Sidney Police Chief B.J. Wilkinson’s estimation.

Sidney is the home of Cabela’s corporate headquarters, a source of jobs by the hundreds. Also under way for the city are a new hospital, 185 new homes and a new corporate

PHOTO BY ADAM WARNER | DN

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado has sparked many questions but few answers in small communities on both sides of the Colorado-Nebraska border. structure for Cabela’s. There are more jobs than there are people.

So for Wilkinson, a transplant born and raised in Virginia who’s held the police chief job since 2013, Colorado’s legalization of marijuana has presented a dark spot in what he considers a bright time for Sidney.

“However a good idea it may be in Colorado, it’s still a pain in the ass here,” he said.

Sidney saw a 50 percent increase in marijuana-related cases last year. This year, Wilkinson and his staff of 15 are blowing through the department’s overtime budget. Halfway through the fiscal year, about 25 percent of the money allotted for overtime remains.

“We don’t just sit around waiting for marijuana to show its face,” Wilkinson said. “We don’t have the time or resources to do that.”

Yet, marijuana shows its face with zeal.

And when it does, that means more time spent processing citations and arrests and more officers sent to court to testify for marijuanarelated crimes during non-working hours.

Hence the overtime issue.

Wilkinson’s most pressing concern is a lack of officers certified as Drug Recognition Experts, a requirement to verify a driver is

under the influence of drugs. Currently, only one of his officers has undergone the timeintensive training.

“As soon as I can find the next DRE certification class, I’m going to send my sergeants to it,” he said. “I need to train at least three more people as soon as I can.”

Wilkinson argues the solution to the onslaught of marijuana-related crime is to increase penalties.

“We need to increase the fines we have on the book by ten-fold,” he said. “What we have right now, a $150 fine for possession – people don’t give a shit about that.”

He knows his position isn’t a popular one, though. More popular is his support of a Nebraska-backed lawsuit vying to overturn Colorado’s marijuana legalization.

“The lawsuit was one of the ways we thought we could get people’s attention,” he said. “It has raised awareness about the issue. I think at some point in time the right thing will happen, but whether or not it’s a result of the lawsuit, I don’t know. And frankly, I don’t care.”

But he’s got his fingers crossed.

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Medically

Divided Stories of those who’d benefit from medical marijuana push Nebraska senator to fight for legalization CHRIS BOWLING DN Josie Kranz is a fighter.

When her husband, Chistopher Kranz, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a major brain tumor, in December 2012, the doctors told them that he had six to eight months to live — 12 to 14 if he wanted to go through radiation and chemotherapy. But Josie Kranz didn’t take this as a death sentence.

“My sister was this warrior,” Josie Kranz’s sister Katie Philippi said. “She carried the energy; not only for him, but for the whole family. It was just like, ‘we’re going to fight this.’ There was no other option for her.”

So they traveled around the country and the world, seeing different professionals in search of the right diet, homeopathic medicine or anything that could reduce the tumor and stop his seizures.

After a year of this without much improvement, a friend suggested they try cannabis oil.

Christopher Kranz was hesitant at first because of the stigma attached to cannabis, but the results were clear at his monthly brain scans. The tumor was shrinking.

But it left Kranz in a state of disrepair. He was blind, without most of his motor skills and unable to do almost anything without help.

After the experience, Philippi’s entire family became advocates for the health benefits of marijuana, combing through mountains of research that she said wasn’t getting a fair say in the medical community.

“There’s just a lot of research out there that’s been done and it’s not really looked at in the U.S. from a medical standpoint because it’s not the big studies the pharmaceutical companies sponsor,” Philippi said.

They’d seen it firsthand and now they were convinced marijuana was a treatment that had medical benefits. The problem was, and still is, that some doctors and the American Medical Association refuse to back it because of its current classification as a Schedule 1 substance, which means the drug cannot be medically prescribed.

Philippi knew that someone needed to make an effort to change the gridlocked mindset on cannabis. So, on the last day to draft a bill for the Nebraska Legislature, she put together what became LB 643, the Cannabis Compassion and Care Act. Sen. Tommy Garrett knew a little bit about medical marijuana when Philippi and her family brought the drafted bill to him. Last year, he watched a bill pushing for more research on the medical benefits of cannabis flounder – mainly because the bill lacked support from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which was essential for its passage.

But he was aware of the ties this issue had with the people and families of Nebraska. That’s why after seeing the bill struggle and hearing the stories of Philippi’s family and others, Garrett said he was done waiting around for someone else to make a change.

“At this point in my life, I’m just like, ‘Let’s get stuff done. Let’s make things happen,’” Garrett said. “And if UNMC doesn’t want to get on board, then tough. We’ll proceed without them.”

But even though he felt strongly about the bill, Garrett didn’t have high hopes for it.

“When I first brought this up I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to do it for the families,’ and I fully expected to get my limbs ripped off,” Garrett said.

“I thought they would tear me to pieces.”

Part of this is because of the stigma attached to the idea of cannabis usage in any context. This is especially true in a conservative state like Nebraska, which is one of two states suing Colorado after it legalized recreational cannabis.

Even in a medical sense, some Nebraska conservatives talk about the “slippery slope” of the issue; in other words, that any legalization will open the floodgates and make cannabis more available for illegal recreational use.

Mark Overman, Scotts Bluff county sheriff, said Garrett’s bill is a move in the wrong direction.

“It’s a door-opener,” Overman said. “That’s the gateway to legalization of (recreational) marijuana.”

PHOTO BY JOHN FICENEC | DN

Katie Philippi stands outside of the Nebraska Capitol on March 18. Philippi’s brotherin-law, Chistopher Kranz, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in December of 2012, which led to her lobbying for medicinal marijuana’s legalization in Nebraska.

Even though Garrett said he’s not an advocate for recreational cannabis legalization, Overman said that’s not a good compromise. The bottom line is Overman likes how Nebraska currently handles marijuana — a minor possession is an infraction, treated in the same way as a speeding ticket — and there’s no reason to change that.

Overman said that smoking — no matter what substance is being smoked — is a dangerous way to put anything into a body. And he said that if there was any reason to think that medical marijuana had benefits, the FDA would have already supported it by now. To him, passing this bill now would be the first step toward more the presence of cannabis and more crime.

But that’s a concern that’s fading nationwide as more states legalize cannabis medically and recreationally.

With 23 states and the District of Columbia passing legislation and 13 more looking at it, it’s a growing trend of acceptance toward the benefits of a drug that’s been stigmatized for so long.

But even though the trend is growing, opposition is not erased. That’s why people like Paige Figi, a medical cannabis activist, think the battle in Nebraska is so critical.

“It shows that this is a nonpartisan issue,” Figi said. “It shows that while Nebraska may struggle with enforcing prosecution for recreational abuse; they are in support of their population of suffering patients having safe, responsible access and are able to separate the two issues entirely.”

Figi, a Colorado resident, became an activist for medical cannabis after using low-THC cannabis oil to treat her 5-year-old daughter who nearly died from extreme epileptic seizures.

She’s currently working in Congress and various legislatures around the United States to show the issue doesn’t have to be so black and white. A victory in Nebraska would further cement that ideal.

“It sends a loud message to middle America

and other Republican states that have historically opposed medical cannabis reform that it can be done and regulated in such way that makes recreational use opposition comfortable,” Figi said.

And as for making this a non-partisan issue and sending a message to Republican states that object to medical cannabis on principle, Garrett feels he’s the man for the job.

He’s a conservative from Bellevue with the Nebraska Firearm Owners Association button to prove it. But transcending political divides has been easier said than done.

Garrett is constantly under fire from his colleagues who have said his conservative compass is broken. One peer told him in private that he should go to the committee in secret and tell them to kill the bill there so it wouldn’t catch media attention and ruin his chances of reelection.

But through all the negativity, Garrett said he’s inspired to keep fighting by the overwhelming support he’s received from families and people suffering with ailments for which medical cannabis is an option.

One story that sticks out with him is a 23-year-old woman who suffers from severe seizures, who is on Medicaid and is under the care of her mother.

The government is paying $35,000 a year for pills, he said, and that doesn’t even include doctor visits or any other medical expense- none of which are working.

Her next step is a frontal lobectomy, otherwise known as a lobotomy.

When the Cannabis Compassion and Care Act was heard in committee on March 9, one hundred similar people came to testify under similar circumstances. Whether they had Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s or a number of others ailments, they all wanted that cannabis option treatment. It’s these people and these stories that drive Garrett.

“We’ve got to do this, and I’m going to fight like hell to make it happen,” Garrett said.

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meet the ‘budtenders’ PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW BARRY | DN

Jars of marijuana buds are displayed at the Lodo Wellness Center in downtown Denver, Colorado. Different kinds of marijuana have varying effects.

Selling marijuana in Colorado is more complicated than you’d expect ERIN MANSUR DN Marijuana dispensary employees call themselves “budtenders,” which might sound a little silly.

But for the estimated 384 dispensaries that have opened in Colorado since the drug was legalized in January 2014, tending bud is a serious business.

Licensed dispensaries sold more than $313 million of recreational marijuana in 2014, generating $44 million in tax revenue – retail marijuana is taxed at nearly 30 percent.

The numbers can add up to big profits for dispensary owners. Being in the marijuana industry comes with a heavy start-up price, though.

Because banks operate under federal laws, they can’t take part in most credit-based activities a dispensary embarks on. For example, business owners can’t receive bank loans to open dispensaries.

This means all expenses are out of pocket. Building, licensing, labor, merchandise and staffing are all a personal investment with no assurance of making the money back.

But Colorado dispensary owners and employ-

ees say they’re up to the challenge. ”It’s a growing industry and it’s fun being able to grow with it,” said Zach Campbell, manager of LoDo Wellness Center in Denver. “And it pays pretty well too. The rules are constantly forming.

But it’s something we happily deal with to have what we have.”

One advantage is the ever-changing flow of customers – on an average day, Campbell said, he might sell marijuana to anyone from a homeless person to a guy in a $2,000 suit.

The employees’ main interest, though, lies in creating a product for the masses to enjoy, whether for recreational or medical use. And they want to use their businesses to spread knowledge about marijuana use.

“We have had people come in with their parents and then come back the next day and say, ‘You totally changed my parents’ perspective on marijuana,’” Campbell said. “It’s a retail environment, but one of our biggest responsibilities as budtenders is to be informative.”

A year and a half into legalization, many dispensaries are now looking toward expan-

sion.

One of those businesses is Nature’s Herbs and Wellness in Garden City.

A few paces from the dispensary’s store front, a car repair shop sits behind a locked metal fence. Nature’s Herbs purchased the 5,000-square-foot building to repurpose it as a new recreational growery and shop front.

On a day in March, master grower Tucker Eldridge walked through the future greenhouse space littered in Christmas decorations from the business Christmas party, reciting building codes, growing regulations and production installments that must be in order before plants can even be moved in.

“Right now, the market hasn’t met its saturation point, so we are not growing enough pot as an entire community to meet the need of the entire consumer community,” Eldridge said.

“We all have the knowledge and context to grow weed, but there are limiting factors.”

In Nature’s Herbs and Wellness’s empty “soon-to-be” recreational lobby and retail room, Eldridge pointed out the additions and future

layout of the shop. Nature’s Herbs and Wellness operates out of several locations, but is now focusing its expansion on increasing overall business size rather than adding storefronts.

Starbuds, a chain dispensary centered in Denver, is taking an approach similar to that of the coffee shop chain that shares a similar name.

Owner Bryan Ruben is working on opening two new stores in addition to the four existing Starbuds locations. He said he considers franchising his business a serious possibility, even with a shaky legal landscape.

“I’m truly just focusing on what this store can do for my customers, but that is how all Starbuds are run,” said Anthony Butler, manager of the Aurora Starbuds. “We are here to get a variety of people and patients a product that benefits their lives. Because we have a clean and friendly environment and we always keep up to (code), I don’t think we will see any problems in the future.”

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B ulder, Colorado

turning a new leaf | MADI WEINBERGER DN BOULDER -- “Got a joke for a smoke?” a random passerby asks Clarence and his friends as they sit outside Innisfree Poetry Bookstore and Cafe. The small bookstore is in a bustling section of town that locals refer to as The Hill.

This Rocky Mountain town in north central Colorado is known for its appeal to the arts, unique restaurants and, of course, the widespread availability of cannabis. But Boulder is also home to a variety of opinions on the legalization of weed, a drug that - whether residents like it or not - has become a part of Boulder’s culture in the wake of Colorado’s 2012 legalization of pot for recreational purposes.

Not all young residents are on board with the new law. Students like Clarence are not 100 percent in favor of the legalization of weed for recreational purposes. Neither is his friend Jack Christie. But even in cases when they oppose legalization, some residents say they will smoke cannabis every now and then.

It’s legal now, after all.

Christie, an English and philosophy major at the University of Colorado Boulder, turns to the greasy-haired stranger.

“I don’t have a joke,” he says, extending the cigarette resting between his thumb and forefinger.

“But I have a smoke.”

Christie has lived in Boulder since 2011, and said the legalization of marijuana hasn’t changed his life drastically, nor has it given him a major desire to consistently smoke pot.

“I’m not for the weed culture,” Clarence said.

“I’ve smoked less weed since it’s been legalized here.”

Clarence may not be the embodiment of Boulder, Colorado, but then, no single opinion can define residents’ complex view of the issue. Nationwide, people are becoming more receptive to the idea of legal marijuana.

According to Pew Research’s “In Debate Over Legalizing Marijuana,” 53 percent favor the legal use of marijuana, while 44 percent are opposed.

The opinion represents a dramatic shift from 2006, when only 32 percent supported legalization and nearly double that amount (60 percent) opposed.

And while the overall attitude toward marijuana appears to be shifting, Boulder residents’ views are undergoing a sort of hyper-evolution.

Suzanne Jones, a member of the Boulder City Council, said Amendment 64, an initiative to end marijuana prohibition and regulate marijuana like alcohol, has been successful thus far.

The crime rates have decreased, municipalities have established efficient zoning laws and some might say that there has been a slight increase in revenue from the sales tax with marijuana, but Jones said that it was nothing too substantial. In terms of sheltering the many homeless on Boulder’s streets or making the price of living adjustable to the middle class, initiatives are still in the works.

“One of the things about Boulder is that it’s

very progressive,” Jones said. “The people are expecting us to make changes that will improve their life in Boulder.”

Jones said she does see some problems with the legalization of marijuana in terms of health risk and that cannabis should be thoroughly researched to provide the public the most information possible.

Something like the federal government officially prohibiting marijuana for recreational use would, in Jones’s mind, cause an uproar in Boulder.

“The ideas about marijuana have evolved so much within Boulder,” Jones said. “Since the people have already decided, I think the major issue would be that the people will feel that the federal government has ignored their thoughts.”

As far as Jones is concerned, she said her hope is that progress continues and life improves in Colorado, independent of the marijuana debate.

“It will be interesting to see what’s going to happen in Colorado,” Jones said. “I hope it all works out.”

AN EXPERIMENT THAT’S WORKING

The “hippie” town stereotype of Boulder might be confirmed by a five-minute stroll through town and the skunky smells one encounters, but the perception doesn’t seem to bother residents.

Rachel Joseph, a third-year film student at CUBoulder, said the legalization of marijuana hasn’t necessarily affected her life on campus or her education.

“It’s just not a big deal as people would think,” Joseph said. “It’s funny, because ever since it’s been legalized, I smell less weed on campus.”

For the Boulder Police Department, the social experiment has seemingly worked in their favor at least in terms of reported crime. As population has increased from an estimated 99,069 in 2012 to 103,163 in 2014, total reported crimes have remained stable while traffic accidents and fatalities have decreased.

Laurie Ogden, executive administrative assistant for Boulder’s police department, said no concerns have arisen with regard to rising crime following legalization. Public safety has remained intact even as more people have begun consuming the drug.

“To my knowledge, we don’t have major issues with minors other than at the beginning of the university school year where we deal with issues for Minors in Possession, but those are usually adults between the ages of 18 and 21 who possess or consume alcohol,” Ogden said. “This is commonplace every year with students who are new to the area and testing their independence.”

ON CAMPUS

Both the University of Colorado Boulder and Naropa University in Boulder are considered dry campuses, where the consumption of marijuana is prohibited.

Regulations in Colorado continue to prohibit alcohol and marijuana possession by minors.

CU Boulder spokesperson Ryan Huff said campus liquor and drug violations have decreased

Allowing recreational marijuana doesn’t mean that all Coloradans light up in recent years.

In 2011, the numbers of liquor violations dropped from 767 to 394 in 2013. Also, drug citations decreased from 442 in 2011 to 199 in 2013.

Huff said the legalization of recreational weed has not affected the enforcement of minor consumption.

“A state law’s a state law,” Huff said. “There’s really nothing to be for or against, but its just something we abide to and educate those who may be confused with these policies.”

Jason Farrell, an environmental engineering student from New Jersey, said he didn’t come to school for the weed, but to experience what he truly enjoys: the outdoors.

“I came out here to try different things,” Farrell said. “There’s so many different outlets where you don’t have to be a part of the party scene.”

A friend of his, Chase Cleveland of Clifton, Virginia, agreed.

“Coming out here and experiencing the outdoors was something I wanted to do,” Cleveland said. “It wasn’t like I was coming here just for the weed.”

International students said marijuana didn’t factor into CU-Boulder’s lure. Some were discouraged from trying the drug.

Second-year international student Fadzil Ashraf, who is from Kedah, Malaysia, was primarily attracted to the mountains. Like his home in Malaysia, Fadzil appreciated the aesthetics of nature and the outdoor attractions within Boulder.

In regards to his education, Ashraf was looking to try something different. When he was entering the mechanical engineering program at UCB, the issue of legal marijuana was addressed, but he wasn’t deterred.

“My mum said ‘oh you’re going to go to a country where they legalized these things?’,” Ashraf said. “Then she started saying, ‘Try not get involved with it.’”

To his right was first-year biology student Amirah Arselan. There’s one thing that they miss from back home.

“Food!,” they both exclaimed simultaneously.

Despite the lack of authentic Malaysian food, they are generally content with their life in Boulder, Colorado. Both have claimed that they themselves do not smoke weed, but they have seen it in their home off campus. To put it bluntly, it wasn’t a concern.

“My neighbors, they smoke weed, but it hasn’t been a problem for me,” Ashraf said. “I mean, the smell kind of, but that’s because I’m not used to it.”

Cannabis has wafted into the academic community too. Assistant Evolutionary Biology Professor Nolan Anderson has been researching the specific genetic makeup in cannabis to understand the different strains within the plant. Such research could help cannabis farmers understand how to grow a variety of marijuana plants more efficiently.

“We’re trying to get a better understanding about the basics of the different varieties of cannabis,” Anderson said. “We currently have 600

different DNA samples we are studying.”

Anderson said other professors are also on board with the cannabis research projects. Some examples he gave were chemistry professor Robert Sievers and psychology and neuroscience professor Kent Hutchison.

Anderson said that they all must follow federal regulations in terms of the level of THC in their sample studies, but he does not have to apply as an individual to obtain cannabis for his research.

“Because it’s legal in the state, the university provides a blanket for me,” Anderson said. “It’s nice to be able to work on this material here when it is harder to obtain in other programs within the U.S.” After a year’s work, Anderson said he has much more to learn, but he sees a change in attitudes toward cannabis research: acceptance.

IN TOWN

Head to bustling Peal Street, and it becomes clear weed tourism is not Boulder’s only draw. Far from it, residents say.

Heading east on the busy stretch peppered with restaurants and street performers, an onlooker may pass by an elderly contortionist who goes by the name Ibbachi-i. Originally from the Caribbean, Ibbachi-i has performed around the nation. He has four kids who live in the area and currently resides on Broadway Boulevard. Ibbachi-i has been a Pearl Street performer for many years. There are many videos of him on YouTube.

His flippant philosophy does not seem to involve politics, economic capital or religious freedom.

He just cares to perform for people who may or may not really notice him from a bamboo mat, shimmying his entire body through a bottomless bucket.

“It’s the people here (whom) I love,” Ibbachii said. “I have been doing this for 24 years and I just love to inspire people to do something that they enjoy.”

Jody Evans, a citizen of Boulder since 1984 and owner of Disco Hoops of Boulder doesn’t go out often - unless someone is willing to dance with her. On the grassy green lot outside the courthouse, Evans and her group of Silent Disco dancers wear headphones tuned to a playlist she compiles, and each chooses from a colorful assortment of hula hoops.

Evans didn’t express any concerns about the legalization of marijuana in Boulder.

“We just have a lot of fun here,” Evans said.

“It’s a place that has a lot going on, and if people want to come out and dance with me, they can.”

Back on The Hill, outside Innisfree Poetry Bookstore and Cafe, a stranger’s glazed eyes fix on Christie, who’s got a smoke, but not the kind the man is looking for. The stranger says no and thanks him anyway. He tells a crude joke and walks away.

“Weird,” Christie thinks, rolling his eyes as the nameless stranger wanders away aimlessly on The Hill.

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OPINION

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Cannabis could serve as a mental illness treatment Jessica Gray

M

arijuana has proven time and time again to be extremely beneficial in treating ailments such as epilepsy, chronic pain, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV, cancer and many more. What we must consider now is its use in treating illnesses that might not manifest themselves physically.

Mental illnesses come in many shapes and forms, ranging from insomnia to schizophrenia, and each diagnosis can have completely different effects on the people dealing with these challenges. While marijuana is currently being used in many states to treat numerous physical illnesses, it should be considered in treating mental illness as well.

Medical marijuana has been a controversial issue in many realms of discussion, especially during the past few years. There has been conflicting and biased research as well as many political campaigns both for and against the legalization for the medically use of marijuana. While there are cer-

tain pros and cons to every issue, we must first set aside our political beliefs and focus on the factual evidence when considering marijuana as a viable treatment for mental illnesses.

Depression can occur in many different forms.

Some people live with depression their entire lives; whereas, other people may develop depression after certain life events such as the diagnosis of a serious or life-threatening illness. According to a study involving 4,400 surveys on depression and marijuana use, those who used medical marijuana once per week or fewer had less depression, more positive affects and fewer body complaints than non-users. Daily users reported less depressed mood and more positive affect than non-users. In a study done by the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 57 percent of those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS found that smoking marijuana reduced anxiety and depression for them.

Additionally, 53 percent reported an increased appetite, and 33 percent reported increased pleasure.

Similarly, anxiety is a mental disorder that sits on a broad spectrum of symptoms, ranging from nervous jitters to full-blown panic attacks. Because this illness affects people so differently, determining the correct treatment can be difficult. However, medical marijuana should still be available for consideration in subduing the effects of anxiety.

An article published in the British Journal of Psychology states that there’s evidence of symptom relief and improved well-being in selected neurological conditions, AIDS and certain cancers. It also states that marijuana may reduce anxiety and improve sleep.

Another debilitating mental illness is bipolar disorder, which has been successfully treated with medical marijuana. In a case-by-case study regarding bipolar disorder, marijuana was reported to be more effective than conventional drugs or helped relieve the side effects of those drugs.

The use of marijuana to treat this disorder was also described as a supplement to lithium (allowing reduced consumption) or for relief of lithium’s side effects.

I could fill an encyclopedia with lists of prescription pills currently used to treat mental illnesses. Many of these pills have quite adverse side effects and can be very difficult to quit. For instance, the side effects of Xanax, a common drug used to treat anxiety, include drowsiness, dizziness, insomnia, memory problems, poor balance or coordination, slurred speech, trouble concentrating and irritability.

Antidepressants also have many differing side effects,even after users have stopped taking their antidepressants such as nausea, headache, fever, trembling, panic attacks and hallucinations. Although side effects are different depending on the person, the dosage and the diagnosis, these are still factors to consider when deciding the right path of treatment for one person individually.

Of course, marijuana has side effects as well. Issues such as bloodshot eyes; dry mouth; skewed perception of time, taste and sounds; and increased appetite may occur when using marijuana. Overdosing on mari-

juana is “safe,” meaning that no one has ever died from a marijuana overdose, but it can produce unwanted effects such as paranoia and sometimes even panic attacks.

The fact is that this drug, like all other prescriptions, needs to be researched in a nonbiased atmosphere and considered among other options for people who might benefit from its use. In almost every research article or study about medical marijuana and mental health, one can find a conclusion that there needs to be more thorough research done in this field.

There have been countless pieces of anecdotal evidence that marijuana has been successful in treating mental illness. However, not much more effort has been put forth in terms of quantifiable research. We as a society, need to open our minds to the idea that this natural drug may have the capacity to change lives for the better.

Although it may not work for every person diagnosed with mental illness, we need to do more research so it can become an available option for treatment for those who respond well to it. In the words of Dr. Jeremy Speigle, in his podcast about Medical Marijuana for Psychiatric Disorders, “Science, not politics or prejudice, must be our guide. We must look with our own eyes without fear or prejudice. Only then can anyone expect to receive the best treatment possible.”

JESSIE GRAY IS A SENIOR ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR. REACH HER AT OPINION@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM OR FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @ITSJESSIE.

Differing views on marijuana can coexist, with effort Jazmin Turner

M

arijuana, although illegal in many states, is easily accessible for a wide variety of people. We’re in a continuous debate on whether to legalize it across the nation or use it for medical purposes. A real concern is the abusive use of the drug.

Every person has the right to decide what he or she consumes. He or she can decide what he or she believes is best for himself or herself at that period in time – even if it’s unwanted by a friend, family member or government. Others shouldn’t be allowed to dictate what one person decides to do with his or her body, whether

it’s piercings, tattoos or marijuana. With that in mind, I have made the choice not to use any substances.

I hold myself to a high moral standard that doesn’t allow me to consume any substance.

Consuming over-the-counter medication that only has a slight effect on the body is difficult for me because I don’t feel comfortable adding foreign items into my body. I have made my purpose in life to avoid a majority of substances, such as alcohol and marijuana. On March 13, I turned 21, and I have yet to consume alcoholeven though it’s legal for me to do so. I‘ve made this personal choice because I don’t see any benefits of substances that alter a person’s mindset.

I believe my natural state is what makes me who I am, and I don’t need substances to alter my mental and/or physical state.

I don’t apply these personal standards to everyone. Because like everything else, I believe people have a choice. But when I know someone very close to me who chooses actions such as drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana, it makes me uncomfortable. Because I let them become close to me, I feel as if they should respect and be held to the same standard I hold myself

to. This can be very difficult for my personal relationships.

When I’m in a situation that positions me around substances, I’m uncomfortable and become harsh and bitter, and I begin to push people away. I remember one of the first parties I went to my freshman year of college with some of my good high school friends. It was a small party in my hometown. I only knew the two friends I was with; so naturally, I was uncomfortable. But then everyone around me began smoking marijuana, and my friends were trying to pressure me into drinking. Seeing my two friends, whom I had held to my own personal standards, in an unnatural state made me begin to change my relationship with them. Soon after, I lost some of the admiration I’d felt for one of those friends.

When I see or learn of someone close to me smoking weed, I slowly begin to lose confidence in him or her. It makes me feel as if I gave someone my trust who didn’t earn it.

I understand that everyone has the choice to consume what he or she wishes, even if he or she is one of my close friends or family members. But this personal choice of abstinence

causes strain in my personal relationships.

I try my best to allow myself to be open to people’s choices, but the use of marijuana is extremely complicated for me. I want to hold these intimate relationships to the standard I hold for myself; but I know my personal feelings can’t justify my lack of acceptance for that person. Others should take this into account as well. Some people feel comfortable when using substances while others do not. People should be aware of friends’ views on topics of substances, such as marijuana, and should acknowledge their beliefs. Friends, family or lawmakers shouldn’t feel the need to determine what substance a person is choosing to consume or not to consume. This is hard when personal relationships are involved. But I’m learning to allow people in close relationships with me to feel free to make their own choices without my personal opinion determining how they need to act. This effort has lightened my emotional stress.

JAZMIN TURNER IS A JUNIOR ANTHROPOLOGY AND GLOBAL STUDIES MAJOR. REACH HER AT OPINION@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM.

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Medical marijuana benefits should get a second look Jaz Schoeneck

P

ot. You know about it. Heck, you might even be smoking it right now.

It’s OK; I’m not a narc. You can come back. I’m actually more of a concerned citizen.

My concern isn’t that weed is going to destroy the state if it’s legalized- even just for medical use. Let’s be honest, there is already an enormous amount of the stuff around this city. Many Nebraskans, from students to farmers to teachers to state officials, use it on a daily basis. Anyone reading this knows someone who uses marijuana for various reasons.

Some people smoke or ingest the substance to ride the high that it provides, much like someone would a beer or two (except way healthier.)

Some people genuinely need to ingest the chemicals within marijuana to make it through their everyday lives.

Now, there are plenty of fine Nebraska folks out there who don’t use the substance but still support its legalization. This article is not writ-

ten to you. I’m not trying to convince anyone to ‘Smoke weed errday’ – Snoop’s got you covered for that – but rather, I’m trying to present the benefits of legalizing medical marijuana.

Many Nebraskans are nervous about marijuana. Just saying the word to some folks conjures the image of shady drug deals and violence or zombie-like pot heads listening to their crappy Pink Floyd albums all day. A lot of fear is associated with it due in large part to how the media represents the users. A stigma is placed on anyone who smokes the reefer. The problem also stems from the negative views of associations such as the Nebraska Sheriffs’ Association, which states “The Sheriffs’ Association is opposed to the legalization of marijuana in any way, shape or form, let alone through medical use. Medical use is not acceptable practice. If it was, the FDA would have approved it.” Aside from the logical fallacy at play, there’s also a certain level of ignorance. They are polemically opposed to legalization and unwilling to even discuss the situation, despite the many benefits this substance would bring to Nebraska.

“Benefits? You mean the munchies?”

Not just the munchies, dear reader: There’s so much more to cheeba than that. I’m going to focus primarily on medicinal benefits; but if you are curious how successful full legalization is, just ask Colorado about its $184 million tax revenue.

Circling back, medical marijuana would have a substantial benefit for the health of Ne-

braskans.

First of all, let’s talk about seizures. Whether it’s epilepsy or Dravet syndrome, the active chemicals in marijuana (cannabidiol being a major one) have been shown to reduce or even eliminate seizures. People are able to live their lives because of a little California Fire. Perhaps seizures aren’t your concern. What about Alzheimer’s? NBC reported on current research being done that lends credence to the idea that Mary Jane helps slow the progress of that disease. Even for those sufferers of anxiety, weed is a potential solution, as a Harvard Health Publications’ article showed that low doses may increase feelings of happiness and act as a relaxing sedative. I know there’s at least one thing on the list that might strike people: Weed may help prevent cancer. Whoa, hold on a minute, don’t leave! It’s totally true. Studies have shown that certain cannabinoids (active chemicals in pot) have been shown to actually block the cancer receptors in the human body and reduce harmful carcinogens. It even has been shown to reduce the symptoms of Glaucoma. As someone who is at risk for glaucoma, I can personally say I have some stock invested in this.

You still aren’t sure? Really? Even with all this positive evidence? OK, I’ll admit that there are some negatives to the substance. First and foremost, it’s easy to abuse. It seems rather harmless at first, but it can lead to serious anxiety and paranoia if over-use occurs. It also has

some negative effects on memory that are currently being studied. Thankfully, the negative effects haven’t been shown to be permanent, and they only usually crop up in situations of heavy recreational use. Using it carefully (like any substance, such as alcohol) or using it medicinally, (you wouldn’t just down ibuprofens for fun, right?) eliminate most of these issues.

There are no known major detriments that can occur from ingesting marijuana; but there also hasn’t been an enormous amount of research on the subject. Legalizing it would, by extension, allow for more research in the area.

Please don’t let a fear of the unknown prevent you from supporting your fellow Nebraskans. I’ve only covered a sampling of the various benefits of legalizing ganja in a medicinal form, but there are new bits of research coming in constantly. If I have in any way swayed your opinion of the devil’s lettuce or even opened up an avenue of curiosity, I hope that you will do some more research on the subject. Check out some websites for more benefits or for information on Nebraska’s legalization status. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or talk to people who have experience with the substance on their views either. As always, I advocate doing your own research and forming your own opinions.

This is an important and ever-evolving topic, so don’t get lost in the haze. Or, do.

JAZ SCHOENECK IS A JUNIOR ENGLISH AND FILM STUDIES MAJOR. REACH HIM AT OPINION@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM OR ON TWITTER AT @JAZ_SCHOENECK.

Nebraska upholds federal law by opposing pot legalization Kayla Simon

N

ebraska doesn’t want to deal with Colorado’s shit. The “undue burden” of trying to police marijuana-related incidents is straining the justice system.

The trouble with Nebraska and Oklahoma’s suit against Colorado for marijuana legalization is that it involves state-to-state as well as state-to-federal friction. Nebraska and Oklahoma would like Colorado’s law dismembered. Specifically, they want to use the Supremacy Clause and the Supreme Court to argue that Colorado is breaking federal law.

The lawsuit rests on a recognition of federal and state powers. Think of the government as a family. The states are the baby: attention hogs skilled in entertaining, even as they color all over the walls. The federal government is the high-achieving firstborn, generally respected in most matters because of their age. Each of them have their advantages. States have “reserved powers” which give them decision-making

power over anything not specifically under federal jurisdiction. On the other hand, the federal government has the Supremacy Clause. The Supremacy Clause is the absent-minded mother who, in the face of a conflict between state and federal, rules in favor of federal to keep the peace.

The Nebraska and Oklahoma suit is a little icky to touch. First off, people should be able to use marijuana. It’s not my thing, but anyone who has been to a music festival knows that marijuana doesn’t belong with heroin, LSD or ecstasy. Yet, they’re grouped together under the Schedule I substance category by the federal government. While the legalese remains stagnant, public opinion of marijuana usage seems to be developing in a manner similar to public opinion of gay marriage: People are realizing it’s going to affect them minimally, if at all.

However, the fact that the federal law hasn’t changed makes this suit a different argument altogether. Just because the federal government has decided not to enforce it doesn’t mean states are obligated to do the same. The laws that the feds made have a minimum standard, but states can choose to exceed this. Gay marriage presents itself as the obvious example, since marital benefits are often just a state away. Anthony Shakeshaft and Thomas Toon met abroad in London in 1992. The long distance relationship between British-born Shakeshaft and Toon eventually culminated in marriage in England. When the couple moved back to Toon’s home state of Michigan, same-sex marriage was illegal. During a 10-

hour window in March, however, a federal judge struck down the ban, allowing them to marry.

When this was appealed, the marriages were struck down, threatening Shakeshaft’s ability to apply for a green card. With their only option being to cross state lines, they traveled to Chicago.

And Michigan recognized it.

The state of marriage being intangible, it is more easily erased from the record as a person passed into a new state. Marijuana, on the other hand, is there or not. Schroedinger would’ve hated this — marijuana can physically pass from state to state. It can be seen, and unfortunately smelled by an unsupportive population.

I’m not arguing that Nebraska has a moral obligation to defend this suit, but it does have the right to do so. The Nebraska attorney general isn’t doing all of this on principle. Nonetheless, he has some good points. Nebraska’s the disgruntled fast food employee who has to clean up the mess while the CEO rolls in the spoils. Nebraska may be tattling, but it’s a legitimate complaint.

More broadly, deciding on the legalization of marijuana affects more than just the states in the suit. Keeping marijuana illegal on a federal level while waving Colorado on is a clear disparity, and one that will need to be remedied in the future. It seems like the simple answer is to just legalize it everywhere, but that brings in the problem of international consequences.

Under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, an international treaty, the U.S. must combat the spread of illicit drugs except for

medical or scientific reasons. While state legalization does not violate international treaties, federal legalization would. Other countries have gotten around this restriction with a policy on non-enforcement, but the public needs to be aware that the situation is not as simple as it at first may seem.

A “regulatory explosion,” where states sue other states for any perceived harm to their states, crops up as a possible issue. If one state perceives the others’ restrictions as too loose, they would have the ability to do something about it legally. However, defining this effect as chaos is pessimistic. Redefining how states relate to each other would clear up confusion and promote accountability. If a state pollutes to the extent that it affects its neighbors, it’s probably too much pollution. It’s no longer just a state issue. If states are bringing up suits against each other, it highlights divisive issues instead of leaving them to stew.

Looking at the Nebraska lawsuit with the perspective that marijuana should be legal is myopic. Marijuana is currently illegal. If Nebraska and Oklahoma succeed, the ruling would simply uphold the federal standard in state. If Colorado wins, it will be a win for chaos. Two states made very different choices – Colorado decided to stray, while Nebraska stuck around.

It doesn’t make sense to punish the later for erring on the side of the law.

KAYLA SIMON IS A JUNIOR POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR. REACH HER AT OPINION@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM.

20 | MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

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GROUND ZERO: FROM 13 enforcement, it has come at the expense of other types of crime. Of particular concern is a backlog of 400,000 untested rape kits, some dating back several decades, from departments all across the country.

“A ‘rape kit’ contains forensic evidence gathered from a sexual assault victim and the scene, in an attempt to identify the perpetrator,” Gaughan said. “Why are 400,000 of them still untested? Because crime labs prioritize the testing of drugs and other evidence from drug arrests over everything else. Why? Because drug arrests are the only crime that police departments actually can make money at. Solving a burglary doesn’t get the police department any money, solving a sexual assault doesn’t get them any money, arresting someone for murder doesn’t get them any money. But drug arrests?

The cash cow of modern law enforcement.”

Now marijuana is legal in four states: Alaska, Oregon, Colorado and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia. Medical marijuana has been legal in California since 1996, and 22 more states have adopted it since then.

And even Republican states that have traditionally been “tough on crime” but are now facing budget deficits, prison overpopulation and a society that increasingly accepts marijuana use as normal, have been forced to contend with the notion that prohibition isn’t working.

In addition to the Democratic politicians, such as President Barack Obama, Colorado Rep. Jared Polis and Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen who have been critical of marijuana prohibition, an increasing number of Republican politicians, such as Arizona Sen. John McCain, Kentucky

Sen. Rand Paul, and, of course, his father, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, as well as former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, have expressed support for marijuana reform.

And even in Nebraska, the tide is turning, thanks to a reinvigorated medical cannabis movement that Martin partly credits to one man: Sanjay Gupta.

In 2009, Gupta, who was once offered the position of U.S. Surgeon General, penned a column for CNN titled “Why I Would Vote No on Pot.” In August 2013, he published another column with a far different tone, this time titled, “Why I Changed My Mind On Weed.”

“Sometimes marijuana is the only thing that works,” Gutpa said.

Later that year, CNN aired a documentary Gupta produced called “Weed,” which was followed by “Weed 2” and most recently, “Weed 3.”

“Gupta’s CNN special had an enormous impact,” Martin said. “Seeing those children stop seizures just by inhaling this spray of the CBD strain of cannabis, that had a real impact on people. That helped people to see this really is something that could work.”

‘I FEEL ABSOLUTELY BETRAYED’

As the debate rages on, in the eye of the storm is a woman with little interest in or knowledge of government, virtually no experience with drug policy or the justice system, but with the only kind of dog that ultimately matters in this fight: an ailing child for whom she would move mountains.

After Shelley Gillen and her husband Dominic watched Gupta’s documentary, Gillen came to the conclusion that cannabis may not be what

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she thought it was. Cannabis was first documented as an anti-convulsive by Irish physician William O’Shaughnessy in the 1830s. Gillen became deeply frustrated upon realizing that clinical proof of its effectiveness has been around for almost two centuries, while her son continues to suffer from multiple seizures every day.

“I feel absolutely betrayed by the FDA and our government,” Gillen said. “Our country has been lied to for decades, and has been [deprived of] information about the benefits of medical cannabis. Cannabis has actually been studied more and far longer than any FDA-approved med out there. Bottom line is that withholding all of this info has been about money, and as a result millions have suffered unnecessarily, including my son.”

Shortly after Gupta’s documentary aired, Gillen found a state senator, Sue Crawford of Bellevue, to co-sponsor a bill that would allow Nebraskans suffering from seizure disorders to try low-THC (meaning non-psychoactive), highCBD oil that has been shown to drastically reduce the occurrence of seizures. LB390, known as Will’s Law, was eventually withdrawn because of a lack of support from the Legislature and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Now the focus is on LB643, the Cannabis Compassion and Care Act, a much broader medical marijuana bill introduced by Sen. Tommy Garrett whose co-sponsors include two Republicans, two Democrats and one Libertarian.

Nebraska’s political climate is unique, said University at Nebraska-Omaha political science student Sarah Merrigan, and that bodes well for marijuana reform.

“Because partisan differences are not as heavily emphasized here as in some states, people are more able to view issues like medical cannabis objectively,” said Merrigan, who co-founded a chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy at University of Nebraska Omaha.

And if anything can supersede those partisan differences, it’s compassion for sick children. The new cannabis movement has resulted in 14 states legalizing CBD oil, including at least nine states with Republican governors.

“Emphasizing the ways in which current drug policies fail to truly protect children will likely continue play a large role in drug policy reform in the future,” Merrigan said. “If only because a large majority of people have a visceral reaction to anything involving children. The recent campaign for marijuana legalization in Oregon saw a group of mothers form ‘Moms for YES on Measure 91’ because they felt a regulated market would do a better job of keeping marijuana out of the hands of minors.”

Gillen is hoping, despite her increasing frustration with the state and federal government, that Nebraska will become the 24th state to adopt a medical marijuana program. Whether LB643 passes, and whether it has the votes to overcome the inevitable veto from Gov. Pete Ricketts who does not support medical marijuana, will give a good indication of whether Nebraska will legalize marijuana some time in the near future.

Whether the bill passes or not, Gillen is not done being an advocate. She is a part of several groups that hope to effect marijuana policy changes in Nebraska and elsewhere. One longterm goal is having cannabis removed from Schedule I, which designates marijuana as having a “high potential for abuse” and “no accepted medical use.”

But it won’t be easy.

“Last year, myself and several other moms met with all five of Nebraska’s federal legislators at separate times to discuss supporting any

legislation which calls for the rescheduling of cannabis,” Gillen said. “Unfortunately, all five of them declined to do so. Therefore, I will continue working on providing them with information to educate them in hopes to change their hearts and minds.”

ON THE HORIZON

Nebraska’s future can only be described as uncertain. A 2014 Daily Nebraskan survey found that 72 percent of UNL professors support a state medical marijuana program, and just over 50 percent expressed support for marijuana legalization in Nebraska.

At the same time, Nebraska is one of several states that filed a lawsuit against Colorado over its legalization policy, which the lawsuit contends has put pressure on border-area law enforcement agencies.

Gillen suspects that the federal government will remove cannabis from Schedule I before Nebraska legalizes recreational marijuana, because of increasing pressure from both political parties to reschedule. A ballot initiative, she said, would be the only avenue for legalization.

One of her concerns is that the connection between medical and recreational will affect LB643’s chances. She does not support legalization and is troubled by the number of legislators who have refused to support LB643 on those grounds.

“The slippery slope argument is used often,” Gillen said. “There are 23 states with medical cannabis programs. Only four of those states have gone to recreational. That is a very small percentage that has gone down that slippery slope.”

Vakharia and Martin doubt that change could occur on the federal level before more states, even Nebraska, act to reform their laws. Part of the reason for that is the federal government’s compliance with the U.N. Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Martin sees marijuana continuing to play out like same-sex marriage, with more states reforming their laws through the next election cycle, and as people become more comfortable with marijuana, eventually the overall mentality will have changed enough to make federal intervention more viable.

“Additional states will adopt medical marijuana or move toward decriminalization and the wheels won’t fall off of those states and people will say, we ought to look at this a little more carefully,” Martin said. “States are taking incremental steps. The negative things that are predicted just haven’t happened yet. The fiscal argument will have a significant impact. The pressure is just building.”

It seems inevitable that, in the long run, Nebraska will follow other states that see positive results from marijuana legalization, especially if LB643 passes. But the bill is stalled in committee and unlikely to reach the floor this session. Will legalization happen soon? Probably not. Will it happen before the federal government reschedules cannabis or ends prohibition outright? Probably.

“There is so much testing, lobbying, and legwork that would go into rescheduling marijuana that I think we’d need a serious national shift in thinking before our government would go on considering such an undertaking,” Vakharia said.

In many ways, though, the shift has already occurred. It has less to do with our thinking on the issue and more to do with how that thinking translates to political action. But the end of the drug war is on the horizon, and it will start with marijuana.

“Our country,” Gillen said, “is not going to move backwards on this issue.”

NEWS@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

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10-16 hours per week. MUST be available weekends. Please apply in person at 5840 North 70th Street.

Double Eagle Beverage is now hiring a F/T Brand Activation Manager. Candidate must be outgoing and a self-starter.

Please email resume to rmurphy@debeverage.com Graduate into a full time sales position! FT outside sales consultant for central Nebraska salons and spas. The job is in Lincoln, Grand Island and Kearney. First year guarantee. Client list established. iPad provided for ordering.

Call 707-759-1000 if interested.

Find yours here.

If you could use some fast cash, especially for the summer, we’ve got the perfect job for you!

NBC | Neebo is hiring seasonal team members with day shifts available. It’s the perfect way to put some extra dough in your pocket AND get access to FREE textbook rentals for you or a family member! Apply today on nebook.com by clicking the Careers tab and searching for the Temporary Textbook Fulfillment position in Lincoln, NE.

Help Wanted Carlos O’Kelly’s

is now hiring at 4455 N. 27th St., Part-time servers and line cooks for nights/weekends.

Apply at CarlosOKellys.com Join the CenterPointe Team! Part-time positions available in residential program working with substance abuse/mental health clients in a unique environment. Must be at least 21 years of age and be willing to work a varied schedule including overnights and weekends.

Pay differential for overnight hours. For more information visit: www.centerpointe.org.

Join the Nebraska Athletics Technical Support Team The University of Nebraska Athletic Department is seeking self-motivated, enthusiastic students with interests in sports & technology to join our technical support team for the 2015-16 school year. Primary responsibilities will include providing technical support to staff, members of the media and guests of the university at events; troubleshooting software and hardware issues; serving as scoreboard/clock operator at numerous athletic events.

Technical support team members are expected to provide excellent customer service to anyone we support, be able to learn new tasks quickly, be comfortable with working on your own and able to handle stressful situations well. Hours vary week to week based on the number of home athletic events. Starting hourly wage will by $9.50 / hour. Send a resume’ and available working hours for the fall 2015 s mester to! Chad Chiesa at cchiesa@huskers.com.

Landscape and Tree Care Company has se sonal openings! Part-time school year and full time summer. Pay $9-$12 per hour depending on experience. Work includes landscape planting, landscape construction, nursery work, pruning and occasional irrigation work. Visit our website for information about our company.

WWW.BEAUTYBYWESTFORK.com Contact Maggie at 402-430-5808 or email at Maggie@beautybywestfork.com LAZLO’S HAYMARKET Where quality is not just a word it’s a Culture. Now hiring the Best and Brightest Servers and Line Cooks.

FT/PT positions available.

Please visit our Careers page at: www.lazlosbreweryandgrill.com Come join our team!

EOE OMNI Behavioral Health is seeking a Therapist to provide mental health therapy to Families, Individuals, and Youth as well as functional and pre-treatment assessments, Comprehensive Family Assessments and interventions to individuals and families. Completion of treatment plans and the provision of evidence based treatment in delivering treatment to adults, children, and families in the home based setting. Qualifications: LMHP and family intervention experience is preferred. Professional Clinical supervision is provided. Travel required. Must have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and must complete pre-employment background checks.

Full Benefits Package! Please apply for this position on our website by using the following link: https://careers.omnibehavioralhealth.com /.

OMNI Behavioral Health is seeking persons to work at a therapeutic group home for adolescents 14 to 18 years old with emotional/behavior disorders in Seward, NE. Part-time positions with benefits currently available. Applicants must be 21 years of age.

Bachelor’s degree, undergraduates in psychology or related fields, or experience working with adolescents preferred. Please apply for this position on our website using the following link: https://careers.omnibehavioralhealth.com/ PAYCHECK ADVANCE is now hiring customer service representatives. We’re looking for energetic, enthusiastic individuals to fill several part time positions. We offer competitive pay, PTO, flexible scheduling; and opportunities to advance. Must have a high school diploma or equivalent. Prior customer service and/or cash handling experience is preferred. Apply online at https://paycheckadv.com/Career.aspx or apply in person at one of our 8 locations.

Compensation: Based On Experience.

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Office Innovations has PT and FT/summer positions installing office furniture. Apply now at www.oinnovations.com.

Warehouse aned driving positions available.

Full or part time. Lincoln Lumber Company 932 North 23rd.

PT and FT Summer Construction Jobs available. $12/hr to start, no experience necessary, work outside in a relaxed, small business environment. Visit www.amcontractorsinc.com for more info or call/text Owen (402) 890-2343 to apply.

WORK AT CAMP THIS SUMMER! Get experience more valuable than an internship, change a child’s life forever, work outside, and have fun at YMCA Camp Kitaki. Visit our web site for descriptions of available positions and an application. It’s the best thing you’ll ever get paid to do! Visit our website to apply www.ymcacampkitaki.org/jobs.

Superstar office assistant needed for Cleaning Ninjas. 20 hours/week. Email resume and cover letter to awesome@cleaningninjas.com.

The Nebraska Department of Roads is currently accepting applications for two Student Work Study positions in the Environmental Section. Temporary part-time emloyment while attending classes and full-time employment in the summer and during breaks. For a full job description and to apply, visit www.statejobs.nebraska.gov. State applications are required and must be received by April 30.

The Nebraska Department of Roads is an Equal Opportunity/Veterans Preference Employer.

The Still

Part-time clerk, evenings and weekends. Enjoy working with customers and wine knowledge a The plus. Must be 21. Apply in person at 6820 S. 70th Street, in Home Depot Shopping Center.

1 Birder’s 9 Amount 15 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25

26 29 30 31

32

reward of

olives Not nervous at all They might make a dog run On-air hobbyists?

Inspire warm feelings about Aristotle’s “___ Rhetorica” Select Suffix with cannon Oil deposit problem Sports org. with the Colorado Rapids Jester’s locale Shortbread flavorer Much paperwork Be in the can

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C I T E S

A G T S

R H O O L K E E Z M I O N V E E S

T H E S I T U A T I O N

S T R I P E S S P O O F E D

Rates per print issue

Students: $5/15 words + $.15 additional word Non-Students: $9/15 words + $.15 additional word Discounts for additional issues Email ad to dn@unl.edu or place online at DailyNebraskan.com

Lincoln Tent is looking for part time summer help and full time help. No experience is necessary. Work outside installing tents in various locations. Earn extra with overtime. Benefits available for full time workers. A valid drivers license is preferred. Stop in to get an application York at 3900Times Cornhusker Hwy, Lincoln, NE beNew Syndication Sales Corporation tween 8 am to 4:30 pm Mon through Friday or 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. or 10018 contact Julie at jmiller@lincoltent.com For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 402-467-4559.

For Release Saturday, February 16, 2013

“If you can find a better car, buy it” pitchman Like some fake redheads “___ Heart” (1988 Whoopi Goldberg film) Fit for the road, say Promising location ___ macchiato “Deo vindice” was its motto: Abbr.

In the wrong business?

Litter critter Ooh and aah, e.g.

Big 12 sch.

Emulates Chicken Little Pico Mountain innovation of 1940

D I C R E O S S E M T A T U A D S T A O L N D E A

and Fridays will appear in print the following Thursday or Monday.They will also appear online.

Fun summer job working on the Niabrara River.

Spend the summer on the river with housing paid for from May through August. Starting and ending dates negotiable.

Email emmons.kelley@gmail.com or call 402-890-7819 if interested.

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE M A N X A M I R S P L A Y C A P E O W E D M A R P I S T T I C A B B O N Y A R G S O U R I N L O N O F E

Classified Ad Deadlines & Rates Ads placed by 3 p.m. on Wednesdays

Summer Jobs

Crossword ACROSS

Announcements

A N D E R B E R I A L O U D S E N E T O K R A C U D U S I C R T A N S B L O P F E T A N U D E S U R K H E R O E A R E D D T R E E

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1992 chick-lit best seller set in Phoenix “Different strokes for different folks” Like many measuring spoons Air

Edited by Will Shortz 1

2

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chief

2 Promising

start? of Macbeth’s thanedoms 4 Jack or forklift 5 Exaggerated workload 6 Key 7 Foreign refusal 8 Look-sees 9 “Aladdin” villain 10 Smoking, say 11 Wood or Underwood 12 Thick base for pizza 13 Connection requirement, at times 14 Fell off 16 Activity with traps 22 Green jam ingredient?

24 Fortune 100 company named after a smoker 27 “The Two Towers” army 28 Portrayer of June in “Henry & June” 29 Weigh 3 One

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DOWN 1 Algonquian

4

15

No. 0112

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Puzzle by DOUG PETERSON AND BRAD WILBER

30 31 32 33 34 35 37

Venture Dimple Sad sack’s lament Earmark Wear for some superheroines Like chop-shop cars Element

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Pair in a cage Place to change trunks Barista’s injuries Stationary Did a rush job on?

Code of conduct

48

Anti-cavalry weapon

49

___ Hamels, 2008 World Series M.V.P.

50

Move through a market

53

Body image, briefly

54

Vintage Jaguar

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

24 | MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

LAST LOOK: MARIJUANA AT UNL

PHOTO BY CALLA KESSLER | DN

Marijuana-related citations are on the rise at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with a 75 percent increase between 2010 and 2014. Such citations are also on the rise in the City of Lincoln.