Daily Egyptian WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
Poll: 90% of Illinoisans OK with medical marijuana
SINCE 1916
VOL. 100 ISSUE 61
Students search for remains of Old Main
BILL LUKITSCH | @Bill_LukitschDE
Voters in Illinois are giving the green light to medical marijuana, according to a poll conducted last week by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. The poll shows 82 percent of voters support medicinal marijuana, though more than half — 51 percent — disapprove of using it recreationally. “Medical use, recreational use and decriminalization are all related but are still distinct public policy issues in the minds of many voters,” David Yepsen, director of the institute, said in a press release Monday. “They are likely to be issues in the debate over criminal justice reform, new revenues and public health.” The data from the study shows opinions on recreational use differ mostly based on age. Ninety percent of surveyed voters under the age of 35 support medicinal use and 72 percent of the same demographic think the drug should be legalized for recreational use. Comparatively, 79 percent of voters age 65 and up approve of using marijuana to treat illnesses but a mere 29 percent think it should be used recreationally. “These data show that substantial support for medical cannabis can be found in every demographic and that support has substantially increased in the last few years,” said Delio Calzolari, associate director of the institute, who helped design the poll. Approval of medical marijuana has increased by 19 percentage points since a similar poll was conducted in 2013, which showed 63 percent support and 32 percent opposition. Since then, the state launched a pilot program allowing dispensaries to set up shop and sell to card-holders who suffer from specified illnesses. But only 4,000 patients have signed up to participate in the four-year program — a fraction of the originally estimated 30,000 eligible. Investors in the field have expressed disappointment in the lack of receptiveness among Illinois patients. Dispensary owners and marijuana advocacy groups have called on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to expand the program and allow more patients with other conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, to apply. The governor declined last month a bid from the state’s medical cannabis advisory board to add eight more conditions as eligible for medicinal marijuana treatment. The data was collected by telephone and is based on a sample of 1,000 voters across the state. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. Bill Lukitsch can be contacted at blukitsch@dailyegyptian.com or 618-536-3329.
Autumn Suyko | @AutumnSukyo_DE Nathan Meissner, left, an SIU graduate with his Ph.D. in archaeology, measures ground distance with Chad Hall, a senior from Decatur studying criminology and criminal justice, during an archeological site examination Tuesday at the site of the Old Main building. “We’ve done a couple limited tests with [the ground penetrating radar], but this is the largest run,” said Meissner, a current research associate. “It’s a learning experience for us. An amazing thing would be to use this equipment full scale at a large prehistoric site here in southern Illinois. I like using high tech equipment, it bring out the inner nerd in me.”
AUSTIN MILLER | @AMiller_DE
The historic Old Main building, which suspiciously burned down in 1969, may be visible for the first time in 47 years — if you have the right equipment that is. A group of SIU students and faculty are using a new ground-penetrating radar unit to survey the area where Old Main once stood, hoping to find the foundation of the burned building. Mark Wagner, director of the SIU Center for Archaeological Investigations, said the device, which looks like an iPad strapped to a lawnmower, was acquired in fall with the help of a $30,000 research grant. SIU was founded as Southern Illinois Normal College, a single-building campus, in 1869. That original building burned down in 1882 and Old Main was built in its place between 1885 and 1887. Old Main then followed suit, being burned down by
suspected arsonists 100 years later about the time that student riots were taking place. Almost 47 years later, Wagner said this is the first time anyone has surveyed the remaining foundation. “Our office is right over there in Faner,” Wagner said pointing across the area surveyed in between Davies Gym and Shryock Auditorium. “We’re only five minutes away. So, we can very easily ... bring this machine out here and we can involve the students in actual research.” The spot being surveyed starts where the northeast corner of Old Main once stood. He said the machine, which can survey to depths of 40 feet below the surface, cannot differentiate what it sees underground, but should still allow them to sketch out the foundation. “There will be a lot of disturbance at the top because of the demolition and the tree
roots, but if it gets down to about six feet, it will show the plan of that building, which will be the first time anyone has seen it since 1969,” Wagner said. Water pipes won’t appear any different from the foundation, but since the group is surveying beyond the believed edge of the building, they can map out the remnants of Old Main. “Hopefully, what it will show in the three-dimensional map, it will show that corner of the building,” he said. Wagner, also an associate professor of anthropology, said the 21 students of his Anthropology 240C class and several members from the CAI were a part of the crew. He said the integration of the project with the class is a way to benefit students who graduate and want to work in archaeology. Please see MAIN | 4
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