4 - The Michigan Daily Monday, May 1, 2000 Edited and managed by GEOFF GAGNON PETER CUNNIFFE students att he Editor in Chief JOSH WICKERHAM University of Michigan Editorial Page Editors 4 M r t trti Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the 420 M ay nard Street mnoitv a/ the Dailvh editorial board. All other articles, letters and An n Arbor, M I 48109 ca 'osdo not necessrily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. Pot's shot The smell of marijuana reform is in the air Marches and marriages Gay rights need to go national T here is a war being fought inside America's borders. More than 700,000 are captured every year, with over half a mil- lion being taken out of the fight for years at a time. All of this is being carried out by our government on its own people with scare tactics, propaganda, brute police force, prison sentences and the inertia of ignorance and silence. All of this means that thousands of otherwise upstanding citizens are being locked away for one reason: a plant. America is up in arms over a little weed, Cannabis, that got caught up in America's "War on Drugs." Many concerned citizens have chosen to break the silence and speak out about a plant that is not physically addictive, has caused MOREW rF zero deaths, grows in almost any climate, pro- vides fuel, food, clothing, Millennium shelter and comfort to Ma millions and has been wwwures-no one of history's most use- ful medicines. They have Personal Re begun calling for a Amen change in the laws, www.balih because it is time for the ignorance and fear to National Orga subside, allowing a safe, Reform of Ma natural medicine to reach wwwNO the sick. First, let's take a look at how we got in the The Drg Refor current situation regard- New ing Cannabis. wwwwdr According to Jack Herer, an activist and author of "The Emperor Wears no Clothes," Cannabis pro- hibition began to take shape in the 1930's following a string of racist scare tactics led by William Randolph Hearst, who intro- duced the word "Marijuana" into major news publications. It was known prior to this time as hemp, a benign plant used as medicine and source of fiber. Hearst used his power to paint a stereotype of the lazy Mexican migrant worker infiltrating America. Also of concern was Cannabis use among African Americans, which was;being attributed to Jazz music and Jim Crow law violations. With films like "Reefer Madness" and headlines like "Marijuana- assassin of youth" creating even more public outrage, Congress hastily moved to outlaw Cannabis. In 1937, Harry Anslinger, director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, testified before Congress, saying, "Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind." Anyone who has ever smoked pot can refute that out- right lie from first-hand experience. The American Medical Association (AMA) made the case that, in effect, federal testimony in those hearings was based entirely on tabloid sensationalism. The AMA revealed that no real testimony had been presented before Congress on behalf of the medical establishment. And since 1937, very little congressional energy has been spent addressing this outrageous situation. In 1976, Congress outlawed all research on the therapeutic effects of marijuana. Since then, coalitions - such as the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which is funded largely by private interests and supported by major media - have contin- ued denouncing marijuana with scare tactics and "Just say no" campaigns. The hypocrisy of promoting alcohol and cigarette use while condemning marijuana with the same tools of advertising is reprehensible. Unfortunately, companies, as well as prison workers' unions and illegal drug test manu- facturers, have a vested )RMATION interest in maintaining the perceived threat of marijuana. Job security Marijuana based on increased -ch: prison populations and I-wars.org paranoia about pot- smoking workers means ponsibility big business those prof- :meit: iting in the "War on t2O0O.net Drugs.' For decades, a move- ization for the ment to educate rijuana Laws: Americans about the kML.org benefits of Cannabis and hemp has been building. n Coordination In recent years, Alaska, 'ork: California, Maine, net.org Oregon, and Washington have passed legislation allowing patients access to often-necessary medical marijuana. Local Libertarians have been pursuing an initiative to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes in Ann Arbor as well. To get the proposal - which would prevent city police from arresting medicinal pot users - on the November ballot, petitioners must collect 4,300 signatures. An initiative is also under way to put the issue to voters statewide. Called the Personal Responsibility Amendment (PRA), this would allow medical marijuana for anyone with a prescription. It would also give any Michigan resident over 21 the right to grow and possess up to three ounces of cannabis, provided it is within the confines of his or her own home and kept away from minors. To get this on the ballot in November, over 300,000 signatures must be collected. The PRA is Michigan's chance to repeal unjust Cannabis prohibition laws. This Saturday, May 6, thousands will flock to over eighty cities worldwide to pro- mote awareness of the medical marijuana movement with the Millennium Marijuana March. Protests will be held locally in Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Traverse City. Anyone outraged by the gov- er nent's history of Cannabis prohibition should get involved to show support for troops on te front line of tis unjustwar. T he "Millennium March," Washington D.C.'s largest gay rights march in seven years, took place this Sunday and was attended by at least 200,000 people. When it was being planned, its organizers didn't know it would culminate a week which saw events of incredible signifi- cance to the gay rights movement. The march capped a week that saw Vermont become, the first state to extend all the benefits it gives to married couples to homosexual couples, a renewed push by President Clinton to extend federal hate crimes laws to cover sexual orientation and the hearing by the Supreme Court of arguments over whether the Boy Scouts can exclude gays. Vermont's extension of marriage bene- fits to gay and lesbian couples is an encouraging step towards granting homo- sexuals the equal rights they deserve. This small, mostly rural, state has taken the lead in recognizing the validity of homo- sexual relationships and will hopefully be an example to the rest of the nation. Most advances in gay rights are current- ly coming from states and localities. Congress has considered virtually no gay rights bills over the past several years and has even been reluctant to act on legislation that would extend hate crimes laws to cover sexual orientation. The importance of feder- al hate crimes legislation is to make sure the federal government can get involved in cases in localities where crimes against* homosexuals are routinely ignored. It also sends the important message that our gov- erment will not tolerate crimes based on sexual orientation. The first hate crimes laws were important victories in the civil rights movement, protecting African Americans and other racial minorities. There can and should be similar protections for the gay civil rights movement. There have been significant strides in the fight for gay rights recently. It is extremely gratifying that, while much dis- crimination still exists for gays, society is moving toward equality amongst all peo- ple. Just did it Nike gives up on 'U' N ike's withdrawal from contract exten- sion negotiations with the University last week was a disappointing reaction to the University's recent signing of the Workers' Rights Consortium. The University is now the third school, along with Brown University and the University of Oregon, to face retribution from Nike after joining the WRC. The vindictive nature of Nike's reac- tion to the WRC was made clear by Nike founder and CEO Philip Knight's decision to cease his personal contributions to the University of Oregon, his alma mater, which he has given more than $50 million to in the past. Knight has said that Oregon's signing of the WRC shredded "the bonds of trust, which allowed me to give at a high level." The working conditions, wages and treat- ment of Nike's manufacturing employees has long been a top concern of workers' rights advocates. While Nike ceaselessly claims to have the utmost respect for human rights and to provide the best working condi- tions in its industry, the immediate competi- tion that has emerged among athletic appar- el makers to replace Nike as the University's official outfitter demonstrates that other companies do not share Nike's fear of having to conform to WRC provisions. Nike's decision to end its relationship with the University, its top-selling school, is difficult to understand. While it disliked the University's positions on workers' rights, those positions were not mandates. Rather than working to negotiate an agreement acceptable to both sides, Nike merely decid- ed to surrender its largest college contract to a competitor. If Nike's actions were meant to scare other schools away from signing the WRC, the clamoring of other shoemakers for a contract with the University make it clear that Nike is replaceable. And by being the only one of the major athletic shoe and apparel makers to so stridently oppose the WRC, Nike is only worsening its already tar@ nished public image in regards to the treat- ment of its workers. Nike's voluntary ending of its relationship with the University deprives it of a valuable contract and does little or nothing to harm the University. The University's signing of the WRC set an important example for other schools and made clear its commitment to workers' rights. It is unfortunate and hard to under- stand why Nike is taking such a hard line against the WRC. By doing so, it will only lose business to more socially responsiblo companies and reinforce its image as an exploiter of third-wqrld workers. The University will get along fine with another athletic outfitter and should be glad to be rid of a partner which so intensely opposes negotiating on issues of workers' rights. Whether through the WRC or some other method, universities across the country should be active in making sure that thei& licensed products are not produced in sweat- shops. The growing nuber of schools tak- ing on this responsibility foretells serious problems for Nike's business in the future if it does not begin to address the complaints of thos c cerned with workers' rights.