Grapurchat, February 10, 1977

              Next week's edition of
the Grapurchat (Feb. 17)
will be fhe ·last edition of
the winter quarter. Any
information on events
occurring to the end of the
winter quarter or until
March. 17 of spring quarter
must be received in the
Qrapur_chat office /by Mon.,
Feb.· 14. The first edition of
the spring quarter will be
published on March 17. RADFORD
Vol. 60 . February ·l 0, l '-J77
NORML Seeks Rights
For Marjiuana Users
By .Jane Dierkes
In 1762, Virginia imposed
laws against persons who did not
cultivate marijuana, according to
Larry Schott, Tuesday night's
speaker for NORML (National .
Organization for Reform of
Marijuana Laws).
Hemp fiber was extremely
important in the production of
clothes and currency in colonial
Virginia, Schott told an audience
of about 400 persons in Preston
Auditorium.
The tables have turned now,
but, Schott said, "After 40 years
of prohibition, we're just now
beginning to break through."
Schott explained, "NORML
does not advocate the use of
marijuana; that is a personal
choice. We're more interested in
our rights as citizens;''
Schott compared NORML to
Nader's Raiders arid NOW
(National Organization for
Women), and stressed NORML's
"humane approach" to
marijuana use.
"We call it decriminaliza-tion,"
Schott said. "This does
not mean w.e support
commercial selling of marijuana;
it means that possession of a
small amount of marijuana
should not be considered a
crime."
· Decriminalization for private
possession and use of marijuana
has been recommen.ded by the
American Bar Association, Art
Linkletter, Ann Landers, William
F. Buckley Jr., and other
influentia-l persons and
associations.
N 0 R ML's position on
marijuana, influenced by the
findings of · the National
Commission for Marijuana and
Drug Abuse set up by the Nixon
Administration, reads:
"NORML supports the
removal of all criminal and
civil penalties for the
private possession of
marijuana for personal use.
The right of possession
should include other acts
incidental to such
possession, including
cultivation and
transportation for personal
use, and the casual,
non-profit transfers of small
amounts of marijuana."
Schott discussed also the
medical aspects of marijuana
smoking. Although no drug is
totally harmless, Schott said that
the THC in marijuana was less
harmful than common drugs
such as aspirin and birth control
pills.
"There has · never been a
recorded fatality attributed to
marijuana," he stated, and added
that studies have shown that
there is no significant physical or
mentar difference between
smokers of marijuana and
non-smokers.
Schott pointed out that
marijuana has been proven to he
an effective pain reliever in
illnesses from cancer to migraine
headaches. He reported that
after many court hearings, the
plight of glaucoma patient Bob
Randall has prompted the
government to begin a program
.Providing "government-grown
grass" to other glaucoma
patients. (Marijuana smoking
helps reduce pressure build-up
behind the eyes, without side
effects.)
"If Randall hadn't initially
broken the law ·(by smoking
marijuana)," Schott said, "he
might be blind today.
"We hope that the law will
someday catch up with science." ·
Currently, Alaska is the only
state in which marijuana use is
e_n ti tied to constitutional
protection. In Oregon; Schott
said, possession of one ounce of
marijuana is no more serious
_ than a parking ticket. Six other
states--California, Colorado,
Maine, Minnesota, Ohio, and
South Dakota--have similarly
lenient laws which decriminalize
possession.
"When marijuana came into
the dining rooms of suburbia,"
Schott said, "people began to
change their way oi thinking."
When asked about the
possibility of decriminalization ·
of marijuana possession in
Virginia, Schott said he found
that this state is "pretty damn
conservative," and asked the
audience to write to their
congressmen concerning the
issue.
"States can save money by
not chasing marijuana smokers,"
Schott said. He said that
400,000 persons were arrested
for marijuana-related "crimes"
last year, and this cost the states
a total of $6 million.
"Thirty-six million Americans
have used marijuana," Schott
said. "But it's not just a question
of dollars and cents--it's the
human side. Arresting a young
person for marijuana possession
will not deter him (from further
use)--but it may ruin his life."
COLLEGE
No.8
(Photo by In-formation and Publication s)
Genesis on stage.
Genesis f?erforming
By Sue Uriger
GENESIS will be presenting
their home show at Radford
Co liege's Porterfield Theatre
tonight through Sun., Feb. 13,
at 8 p.m.
For the first time, Radford
College stu·dents will not have to
pay to see the show.
"Hollywood Revisited: A
Salute to MGM" is the title of
their show and it consists of
MGM musical numbers dating
back. to Judy Garland and up to
present-day musicals. This show·
is the same one they produced as
a road show during fall quarter
in the southwestern Virginia area.
The show is divided into
sections this year, such as love,
travel, dances ahd others. Each
section includes music from the
musicals that correlates with
each section topic. Unlike other
years, there will be much more
dancing included in this -year's
show, - which will be
accompanied by a . ten-piece
~tagE! band.
GENESIS members include
twenty-two singers, dancers, and
orchestra members, with six
stage crew members. Each
member must do extensive
auditioning in the singing and
dancing areas. This year,
GENESIS was fortunate in
having a p_rofessional
choreographer, V. Keith Martin,
who came from New York to
arrange all the choreography for
the show during a five day
workshop in the fall. Rehearsals
az:e four and a-half hours weekly
until a week before the show
when there . are even more
intensive rehearsals.
. GENESIS needs our support.
Let's give these hard working,
talented students the backing
they deserve! Shows will be at 8
p.m. nightly with a matinee at
1:30 p.m. tomorrow. Tickets
may be purchased at the Heth
Information desk or reservations
may be made by calling
731-5115.
Admission for non-Radford
!College students is $1 and $1.50
for the general public.
Students Liable For Damages
(Pho t o b y J a n Samoriski)
Lori Kenyon, a sophomore from Richmond, and Marty
Campanella, a sophomore from Bluefield, Va., were
selected "Grapurthat" and "Beehive" editors, respectively,
for the 1977-78 school year on Tuesday night.
By Jan H. Samoriski
Students who organize parties
in residential hall facilities are
goi ng to be - he ld more
accountable for what happens at
them, acco rdin-g . to ' t he
Residential 'Life office.
"We are going to hold
students responsible financially
a nd disc iplinary for any
miscon9uct or damage," said
director of residential life Dr.
Larry Mangus, who said a guest
list, with the room reservation
form , will also be required.
A clause· in the application
for scheduling of meetings,
eve nts , and fund raising
activities, which must be filled
out and signed before a student
can have a party, reads, " B y
subm i ssion o f th e f o r m , t he
spo n sorjng o r gan ization or
individua l a ssum e s full
responsibil ity for maintai ning
appropria te levels of br;h a vior
during th e even t, for clean ing-up
of the facili ty fo llo w ing the
even t and for complian ce with
Rad ford College policies and the
law s of 'th e Common w eal th o f
. Virgin ia. " Students will now be
strictly held to this stipulation.
A temp o rary ban was
imposed on parties in the .
G overnor's Quad last week
following a party in Peery Hall
where college property was
damaged. The ban has since been
lifted.
The student who held . the
party will be billed for the
damages.
The same procedures for
having a party as o~ tlined in the
Guide To Residence Hall Living
on pages six and Seven will still
·be in effect with the addition of
a required guest list.
. _ In accordance · with ABC
policies and state law, a banquet
license must be secured by t}le
(Continued on Page 3)