[420 Girl]

When asked what his reaction was to watching Question 2 pass on election night, Alex Arsenault simply answered “joy.” The treasurer of the UMass Cannabis Reform Coalition (CRC) and senior psychology student said he knew it would pass because the polls had been in favor for the question far ahead of time. He was surprised, however, that it had passed at such an overwhelming majority at 65 percent. Arsenault was most excited for how much the dynamic at UMass and across the state would change.

The CRC started up in 1990 with the goal of decriminalizing marijuana, making it the oldest student-run drug reform group in the country. After 19 years of campaigning and rallying, the group’s original objective was finally accomplished. Question 2 on the Massachusetts ballot stated the following:

“This proposed law would replace the criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties, to be enforced by issuing citations, and would exclude information regarding this civil offense from the state’s criminal record information system. Offenders age 18 or older would be subject to forfeiture of the marijuana plus a civil penalty of $100. Offenders under the age of 18 would be subject to the same forfeiture and, if they complete a drug awareness program within one year of the offense, the same $100 penalty.”

On Nov. 4, Question 2 passed, and is waiting for approval from the governor’s office. The CRC, which includes about 80 students, spent a year collecting signatures to get the issue of decriminalizing marijuana on ballot. The rest of the time the group spent campaigning. Their ultimate goal now is to legalize marijuana, but they are also focused on raising marijuana awareness issues and educating students about their legal rights in regards to drugs.

“We work a lot on dealing with the police situation…educating people on what their rights are,” said Arsenault. Representatives from UMass Legal Services occasionally team up with the CRC to run workshops informing students about their legal rights. The coalition also hands out literature on the subject. The group distributes pamphlets on issues that affect students, such as what to do when pulled over at traffic stops or during a search and seizure.

The CRC spread facts about Question 2 through “tabling.” Every day for the past two months, members of the coalition sat at a table outside of dining commons where they circulated information about marijuana decriminalization to interested students. “We weren’t telling them to sign anything, we weren’t telling them to do anything, we were just telling them what Question 2 was and encouraging them to vote yes on it,” said Arsenault. On top of that, the group distributed lawn signs every 10 to 20 miles down major highways, sometimes going all the way to Boston.

The coalition decided their time would be better spent having a more sustained action across a wider area rather than having a few focal points of action, and did not host rallies for the ballot issue this year.

Past rallies of the group have been in opposition to dorm raids by UMass police. The coalition rallied to inform students that it is a violation of their constitutional rights for resident halls to be searched without a warrant.

“It was a really good rally because it led into us marching to a room that was being raided while the rally was going on, and it exploded into this much bigger thing because the entire dorm joined in and it turned into this really big protest,” said Arsenault.

This kind of action caught the interest of the Student Government Association (SGA) and as a result the school now has a citizen advisory board to dispute the constitutionality of cases brought forward. Question 2 will help further alleviate the problem because marijuana possession will no longer be a probable cause to search campus residences, including dorm rooms. The CRC believes that far fewer arrests will be made as a result.

Arsenault cited several reasons why the decriminalization of marijuana affects students personally here at UMass and other colleges and universities in Massachusetts.

“It’s a critical issue because if you’re convicted of a drug offense while you’re receiving student aid, you can lose that financial aid, and that’s a huge deal. Some people get screwed out of higher education all together just for possessing a small amount of marijuana.”

The other reason, he said, was to stop the “culture of fear” around UMass, which stemmed from marijuana arrests made by undercover cops who searched dorm rooms and wooded areas on campus. Allegedly, the police would arrest students and offer to let them go unpunished if they acted as “narcs” and implicated other students who were in possession of marijuana. According to Arsenault, the passing of Question 2 put an end to this intimidation factor.

One of many people who felt the effects of the state law and UMass policy was UMass student Nick Narahara. Narahara was originally expelled from school for being caught with less than a quarter ounce of marijuana, though his punishment was eventually dropped to a two-semester suspension. He was charged on four counts: two for distribution, possession, and possession with intent to sell. Even though Narahara is now re-enrolled at UMass, he won’t graduate on time and the possession will be left on his record for 10 years. The UMass student was also left financially crippled by legal bills and other costs associated with his arrest.

“My parents refused to help pay for last semester so I had to pay for it all myself,” says Narahara. “I paid $1,000 for the lawyer, $850 for the court fees, and $8,000 for last semester. I had to get two jobs just to pay it off on time to everyone.”

While Narahara is one of the many students still dealing with the consequences of marijuana possession, the passing of Question 2 may save students from dealing with similarly harsh punishments in the future.

Despite the CRC’s hard-fought victory, their work is far from over. The group’s next mission is to legalize medical marijuana in Massachusetts. Every year, the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition (MassCann), puts through a bill to the state legislative system for medical marijuana and every year it has failed. The CRC hopes that since Question 2 passed with such a huge majority, state politicians will be more inclined to support the bill. “Especially if they’re up for re-election, they’re going to want to appeal to their constituents. And obviously their constituents told them they want to loosen marijuana prohibition,” said Arsenault.

Another short term effort the CRC is working toward is collecting a few hundred signatures to lobby against a bill in the state senate that is going to criminalize salvia divinorum, an herbal plant that has similar effects as marijuana and hasn’t proven to be addictive or toxic. They will present the signatures to state senators to build an opposition to the bill. This bill will pass or die by the end of December.

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