The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, April 1, 2016 — 3

College 
Democrats, 
said 
the 

state government needs to take 
the potential danger of the 
pipeline seriously because of the 
catastrophic outcome of a spill.

“Because of its location in 

the Straits of Mackinac, the 
potential damage from a spill 
there is unimaginable,” he said. 
“As Democrats, we believe the 
Great Lakes must be protected 
as some of the greatest natural 
resources our state and our nation 
possesses. 
The 
environmental 

and 
economic 
consequences 

of a break in Line 5 cannot be 
taken lightly, especially given the 
current administration’s revealed 
inability to properly respond to 
water crises.”

Protesters 
also 
gathered 

outside of last year’s Mackinac 
Policy 
Conference 
to 
raise 

awareness for the issue, hoping 
to influence policy makers to 
further regulate or shut down the 
pipeline.

Mariah 
Urueta, 
Michigan 

organizer for Food & Water 
Watch — one of the groups that 
organized the protest at the 
conference— said she hopes to see 
the pipeline shut down because of 
its threat to the Great Lakes.

“Pipeline 
5 
should 
be 

permanently 
decommissioned,” 

she said. “We do not believe that 
any oil at all should be flowing 
through the Great Lakes. It poses 
unnecessary risks to our Great 
Lakes.”

According 
to 
Urueta, 
the 

majority of the oil flowing through 
the pipeline is not consumed by 
Michigan residents, and is instead 
transported through to Canada. 
The group also has concerns 
regarding Enbridge’s ability to 
react to a breakage in the pipeline, 
claiming it could take anywhere 
from a few hours to a few days for 
the proper response team to be 
organized.

Activists 
also 
note 
that 

Enbridge 
Energy 
does 
not 

have the best track record for 
maintaining pipelines. In July 
2010, a different pipeline owned 
by Enbridge experienced a large-
scale spill affecting 35 square 
miles of the Kalamazoo River — 
the largest inland oil spill in U.S. 
history. In 2013, the National 
Wildlife 
Federationrevealed 

Enbridge was not following the 
safety guidelines they agreed 
to when a diver discovered 
Enbridge Line 5 was lacking many 
necessary supports.

Ryan Duffy, supervisor of 

regional 
communications 
and 

media relations for Enbridge, said 
the company constantly monitors 
the pipeline and would be able to 
shut off the pipeline within three 
minutes of a detected breakage.

Additionally, Duffy said the 

pipeline was built to the highest 
standards and does not anticipate 
any issues moving forward. He 
said Enbridge has emergency 
protocols, 
like 
emergency 

response 
drills 
and 
sending 

devices inside to look for testing 
in case an accident does happen.

“Our most important concern 

is safety; that’s why we do 
constant testing on the pipe,” he 
said. “But there is just no reason 
to make any changes. The pipe is 
in excellent condition.”

Despite these assurances by 

Enbridge, along with protesters, 
members of the legislature have 
pushed for further action on the 
issue. Last October, Jeff Irwin 
(D–Ann 
Arbor) 
submitted 
a 

resolution 
calling 
upon 
Gov. 

Rick Snyder (R) and Michigan 
Attorney General Bill Schuette to 
exercise their right to terminate 
the state’s contract with Enbridge 
and shut down the pipeline.

Last week, Schuette submitted 

a request, along with other 
members 
of 
the 
Michigan 

Pipeline Safety Advisory Board 
for Enbridge, to release more 
data 
concerning 
Pipeline 
5’s 

integrity and inspection policies. 
According to a press release, the 
current read-only form of the data 
severely limits the usefulness 
of 
the 
provided 
documents, 

preventing the state from properly 
analyzing risk.

Under 
the 
initial 
1953 

agreement between Lakehead 
Pipeline 
Company 
— 

laterpurchased by Enbridge — 
and the Michigan Department 
of Environmental Quality and 
Natural Resources, there is a 
termination clause allowing the 
state to revoke its agreement 
under 
certain 
conditions, 

including if the pipeline is not 
operated under the best practices.

The resolution provides several 

reasons why the termination 
clause should be invoked, such 
as high water pressure on the 
pipeline and its age.

Irwin said though Enbridge 

Line 5 may not fail, the potential 
harm it could cause is too great to 
risk.

“The likelihood of the problem 

is probably relatively small,” he 
said. “But the magnitude of the 
harm would be tremendous. 
The concern if there is a mistake 
— like there was in Kalamazoo 
— the magnitude of the harm 
is enormous and the ability of 
Enbridge to fix it is not there.”

Schwab said he hopes the new 

research will impact future policy 
on the state level to address the 
pipeline.

“We hope this information will 

inform spill-response planning 
and will help government officials 
make sound decisions about the 
oil pipeline beneath the straits,” 
he said.

PIPELINE
From Page 1

Administration, and has the ability 
to 
impair 
memory, 
judgment 

and coordination. Opponents of 
the drug argue that the medical 
impacts of it aren’t yet clear, and 
could be significantly negative.

In Michigan, medical marijuana 

is legal, but recreational use is 
not, despite legislative pushes to 
legalize it fully. Furthermore, on 
campus, University policies follow 
federal 
law, 
meaning 
neither 

medical nor recreational use is 
legal — a situation that each year, 
Hash Bash places in sharp relief.

Balancing the purpose of 

Hash Bash

Despite 
likely 
marijuana 

consumption at the event, last 
year’s Hash Bash only resulted 
in three arrests. This year’s 45th 
annual Hash Bash will take place 
on April 2, and, as usual, will be 
directly on campus.

The University’s Alcohol and 

Drug Policy states that possession 
of 
marijuana 
on 
University 

property 
is 
a 
misdemeanor, 

punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 
and possible imprisonment of up to 
one year.

University Police spokeswoman 

Diane Brown said the department’s 
policy is that the event itself is 
not 
something 
UMPD 
would 

take action against, but drug 
consumption is.

“It’s not legal to be smoking or 

possessing marijuana on the Diag 
at this event,” Brown said. “It’s 
exercising of free speech, but at 
the same time, the University and 
the police and DPSS don’t condone 
the use of illegal drugs or the public 
consumption of alcohol on our 
campus.”

Brown said in recent years, 

attendees at Hash Bash have made 
speeches and rallied for about an 
hour, and then continued their 
activities off campus. Once the 
attendees leave campus, any illegal 
activities are under the city’s 
jurisdiction. Currently, marijuana 
is decriminalized in Ann Arbor, 
resulting in only a civil infraction 
and a $30 fine.

“Most of the time, the crowds at 

this are reasonably well-behaved — 
it’s just trying to manage and make 
sure people who look like they’re 
having considerable difficulty from 
a medical situation are provided 
medical treatment,” Brown said.

LSA junior Erin Dunne, who is 

director of Students for Sensible 
Drug Policy and on the organizing 
committee for Hash Bash, said the 
event is crucial for demonstrating 
political activism on campus.

“It’s important for this to 

happen on campus because it’s an 
opportunity for students to both 
be exposed to political opinions 
and viewpoints and hear from a 
lot of speakers from the political 
activist network, but also the 
national activist network,” Dunne 
said “It’s also an opportunity for 
the community to see that students 
care about these issues.”

Dunne said the event organizers 

do not advocate illegal behavior 
at Hash Bash and notify both 
the University and the city of 
Ann Arbor that the event will 
happen. Police then patrol at their 

discretion.

She emphasized that despite 

the potential for people to engage 
in activities that might violate 
University policies, the University 
should allow for student-led events 
that exercise student speech. 

“Hash 
Bash 
is 
considered 

student 
speech,” 
Dunne 
said. 

“It’s allowed to happen because 
of the First Amendment. It is 
meant to be a political rally and 
not a marijuana party on the Diag, 
although there are some people 
who misunderstand the purpose of 
the event.”

State policies surrounding 

marijuana usage:

Marijuana — whether used for 

medical or recreational purposes 
— is currently legal in 23 states and 
the District of Columbia, according 
to the National Conference of State 
Legislatures.

However, each state varies in 

what amount and type of marijuana 
is legalized. In Michigan, Proposal 
1 dictates recreational marijuana 
as illegal, though it allows for legal 
possession of 2.5 usable ounces 
if used medically. So far, there 
are nearly 100,000 patients in 
the state registered for the use of 
medical marijuana, according to 
the Michigan Medical Marijuana 
Program.

Last September, State Rep. Jeff 

Irwin (D–Ann Arbor) proposed 
legislation aiming to legalize and 
tax the private use of marijuana for 
Michigan residents 21 years and 
older.

“Prohibition is not working. It’s 

expensive. It ruins people’s lives, 
and it distorts the priorities of our 
law enforcement agencies,” Irwin 
said in a recent interview with The 
Michigan Daily.

His bill, House Bill 4877, would 

make the possession, use and 
purchase of marijuana legal for 
adults 21 and older, decriminalizing 
the use and possession of the 
substance and providing a system 
for licensing sellers, much like 
alcohol regulations. It’s modeled 
after 
similar 
legislation 
in 

Colorado, where recreational use 
is legal.

“If we learned one thing from 

Colorado, it’s that their system of 
legalized marijuana is working,” 
Irwin said.

The bill has drawn opposition 

from Republican members in the 
legislature, and a range of groups 
in the state.

On campus, LSA freshman 

John Sack, freshman chair for 
College Republicans, said he does 
not support the legalization of 
marijuana for recreational use. He 
cited several studies regarding the 
use of marijuana in Colorado that 
have pointed to issues with people 
driving under the influence of 
marijuana, which could jeopardize 
safety on the road.

“I think there’s a lot of drawbacks 

to legalizing marijuana,” Sack said. 
“While I fully agree with legalizing 
it medicinally, I think recreational 
use poses a lot more risks to every 
person and to society as a whole.”

According 
to 
the 
National 

Institute of Health the known 
effects 
of 
marijuana 
include 

breathing 
problems, 
increased 

heart rate, poorer physical and 
mental health and lower life 
satisfaction. 

Irwin said he does not see his bill 

getting passed, given conservative 
control of both chambers in the 
state legislature, he has also 
invested time into theMILegalize 
campaign, a petition drive to try to 
legalize cannabis.

Under Michigan law, a petition 

drive can place a legislative change 
on the ballot if a group garners 
enough signatures.

“People on both sides of the 

political spectrum are realizing 
that prohibition isn’t working,” 
Irwin said. “It’s been a huge, huge 
failure and it’s incredibly costly. 
People are realizing that marijuana 
is a more benign substance than 
even things like alcohol, which are 
legal and available.”.

St. 
Pierre 
echoed 
Irwin’s 

statements, also saying there is little 
merit to arguments suggesting that 
marijuana use will rise following 
legalization.

“One out of three youth between 

the ages of 15 and 24 use marijuana 
regularly,” St. Pierre said. “If one 
just takes the fearful argument 
that there will be an increase 
in marijuana use, consequently 
there will probably be a decrease 
in alcohol use and binge drinking. 
There will probably be a decrease 
in tobacco and opioid use.”

Sack, 
however, 
disagreed, 

pointing in particular to issues 
he said educational institutions 
could face following a nationwide 
legalization of marijuana.

“If you look at Holland and 

Portugal, where they legalized 
(recreational use of marijuana), 
and actually Amsterdam, their 
mayor actually had to go back 
and ban students from smoking 
marijuana,” Sack said. “Because 
they would go into class stoned, 
grades would drop, productivity 
would drop.”

St. Pierre also noted that 

legalizing marijuana could lead 
to changes in the justice system, 
pointing to the fact that young Black 
males are five times more likely to 
be charged with a marijuana crime 
than young white males.

“The data doesn’t lie that the 

arrests, prosecutions and worse, 
incarcerations, that have to do 
with marijuana are totally racially 
disparate,” St. Pierre said.

Enforcement on campus
Even as state and national groups 

push for recreational legalization, 
policies on the University’s campus 
remain completely restrictive — no 
medicinal or recreational use, and 
a misdemeanor charge, not a civil 
infraction, if caught using it.

Brown 
said 
because 
the 

University receives federal funding 
as a public university, federal law 
takes precedence over state law on 
campus.

“In 
order 
to 
have 
legal 

possession of marijuana you have 
to have a valid medical marijuana 
card and there are a number of 
restrictions you have to adhere to,” 
she said.

One 
particular 
area 
this 

becomes 
quickly 
clear 
in 
is 

University 
Housing. 
Because 

University 
Housing 
policies 

restrict all illegal substances, 
students who use marijuana for 
medical issues are not allowed to 
use marijuana on campus.

Sack said while he doesn’t 

support full legalization, watching 

a family member struggle to 
manage their health issues due to 
restrictions on medical marijuana 
at the University led him to support 
medical legalization, echoing a 
position other students on campus 
also expressed.

In response to these kinds 

of concerns, Brown said she 
recognized the policy makes it 
difficult for those with a medical 
issue to manage their condition, 
even with a legitimate medical 
marijuana card, but nonetheless 
reiterated University policy.

However, 
several 
students 

said they felt that regardless of 
actual policy, enforcement of 
University policies surrounding 
both marijuana and alcohol is not 
consistent.

An LSA junior, who requested 

to remain anonymous because 
of admitting to illegal activity, 
recalled getting away with openly 
smoking and drinking in her 
residence halls.

“My freshman year I lived in 

Bursley, and there’s nothing else to 
do in Bursley except smoke weed,” 
the student said. “I know a lot of 
people who smoke for (a medical) 
reason, but they don’t have a card, 
because they don’t need one here.”

She said her freshman year, she 

acquired marijuana most often 
through a mutual friend whose 
family grew marijuana.

Despite 
smoking 
fairly 

frequently, she said she has never 
gotten 
caught 
for 
possessing 

marijuana, and does not know any 
other students who have gotten 
caught.

“So many people smoke at this 

campus,” she said. “Every party 
you can find shit and get it. Every 
party that I go to, someone is 
smoking weed on the back porch. 
It’s everywhere. Where do people 
get it? How? I don’t know. It’s just 
there.”

The future of the legalization of 

marijuana

Ultimately St. Pierre said he 

believes there are multiple reasons 
marijuana prohibition has been 
kept in place by lawmakers for 
so long, such as law enforcement 
opposition and long-term advocacy 
efforts against it

“(These organizations) waste 

billions of dollars a year trying to 
enforce a prohibition the public 
no longer wants,” St. Pierre said. 
“If government really, genuinely 
would like to achieve its stated 
goal of reducing the amount of 
marijuana used — notably amongst 
young people — to make it illegal 
and propagandize against it the 
way they have hasn’t achieved any 
of its stated goals.”

Regardless of the long-term 

prospects 
for 
legalization, 

however, one thing is clear — 
this Saturday in Ann Arbor, at 
least one side of the arguments 
and 
controversy 
surrounding 

marijuana will be on full display, 
as it has been for the past 44 first 
Sundays in April.

That display, organizers said, 

will hopefully at the least spark 
some discussion about campus and 
state policy if nothing else.

“Hash Bash is fundamentally a 

rally to change laws,” Dunne said. 
“And get the conversation started 
about 
legalization 
and 
harm 

reduction.”

MARIJUANA
From Page 1

affect the quality of life for trans 
individuals, citing that 41 percent 
of trans individuals have reported 
to have attempted suicide, much 
higher than 4.6 percent of the 
overall population.

Panelist Kathryn Fessler, a 

pediatrician and sociologist, said 
during 20 years of working with 
more than 100 young transgender 
individuals, 
she 
has 
worked 

with only one person who did 
not suffer from depression or 
anxiety. However, she added that 
this does not mean mental health 
disorders and transgender people 
are linked.

“There’s this idea that all trans 

people need mental health care,” 
Fessler said. “That’s not true. The 
reason why trans people need 
mental health care is because they 
are living in horrible conditions.”

The panelists also discussed 

how difficult it is for transgender 
individuals to find transgender-
inclusive 
and 
transgender-

affirmative 
medical 
providers 

and 
how 
uncomfortable 
the 

experience can be at the doctor’s 
office.

“We get asked questions about 

our bodies all the time in health 
care settings, even when it’s 
unrelated to the reason why we 
are there,” said Elliot Popoff, a 

project manager at the SexLab. 

Along with discussing the 

issues, panelists also touched on 
potential solutions. Panelist Bré 
Anne Campbell, a community 
specialist at the University’s 
Center for Sexuality & Health 
Disparities, 
emphasized 
the 

importance 
of 
hiring 
more 

transgender 
individuals. 
A 

2011 national survey showed 
that 26 percent of transgender 
individuals lost a job due to 
discrimination and 50 percent 
were harassed on the job.

Nicholas 
said 
the 
non-

transgender community must be 
welcoming and treat transgender 
individuals as human beings. 
She added that mistakes are OK 
as long as people have the best 
intentions and try to understand.

“It’s not rocket science to treat 

each other as human beings,” 
Nicholas said. “Best intentions 
are well received by people who 
know you are trying. We’ve got to 
be welcoming.”

Public Health student Jack 

Andrzejewski, who attended the 
event, said the topics discussed 
during the event aligned with his 
research interests at the SexLab, 
which include sexuality and 
gender identity.

“(The event) spoke to our 

personal interests in terms of our 
research and the work that we 
have been doing,” Andrzejewski 
said.

PANEL
From Page 1

contracting Stantec Consulting 
for $200,000, Alfred Benesch 
and 
Company 
for 
$175,000, 

Perimeter Engineering LLC for 
$150,000 and OHM Advisors 
for $175,000. If the resolution is 
approved, these companies will 
provide construction support 
and consulting services to the 
city’s Project Manager Service 
Unit on an as-needed basis as 
construction projects progress.

Equipment Purchases

To procure materials for the 

city’s water infrastructure, two 
resolutions purchasing a total of 
$544,244 of equipment will be 
voted on.

This includes a resolution 

authorizing the purchase of 
$189,480 worth of copper piping 
and brass fittings from the 
Michigan 
Meter 
Technology 

Group and a resolution approving 
the purchase of $354,764 worth 
of water equipment from HD 
Supply Waterworks, including 
pipes, fittings and fire hydrants.

saying he worked on the issue 
for over 20 years.

“We 
advocated 
for 
two 

decades 
to 
add 
sexual 

orientation to our University’s 
non-discrimination bylaws,” he 
said. “One day, I got a call from 
a friend who said ‘Get your butt 
over to the Regents’ meeting. 
They’re going to vote up this 
amendment.’ So over I went, and 
they voted it up.”

Morgan, 
who 
is 
running 

for Washtenaw County city 
commissioner, 
discussed 

his 
experiences 
in 
politics, 

noting that running for office 
as an openly gay man may be 
problematic in other areas, but 
not in Ann Arbor.

On the national level, few 

politicians are openly gay. Only 
seven members of Congress 
are openly gay or bisexual, 
despite 3.4 percent of the U.S. 
adult 
population 
identifying 

themselves 
as 
lesbian, 
gay, 

bisexual 
or 
transgender 

according to Gallup Poll. 

“My mom, when she found 

out, sat me down and said, ‘You 
are never going to be able to 
work in politics if you’re gay,’ ” 

he said. “She genuinely meant 
it as a worry for me, but there’s 
nothing I can do about being 
gay — I’m not going to hide it. 
I’m certain that no one in Ann 
Arbor that’s going to vote for me 
anyway is not going to because 
I’m gay.”

The panelists also each made 

recommendations for how to 
advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, 
highlighting the importance of 
interacting with state legislators 
and speaking openly about the 
issues facing the community.

Maxwell 
said 
openly 

participating in the discussion 
and making people more aware 
of the issue can have a large 
impact.

“Be active, be vocal and be 

out there so they can see us,” she 
said. “We were invisible for so 
long, and it’s amazing what just 
showing your face does.”

LSA freshman Kellie Lounds, 

who attended the event, said she 
thought it was key in informing 
the population on issues facing 
the LGBTQ+ community.

“I feel like it’s really important 

to educate yourself to be aware 
of how you can actively help 
other people,” she said. “This is 
a really great opportunity to do 
so because it was a very candid 
discussion.”

COUNCIL
From Page 1

LGBTQ
From Page 2

