Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy unveiled a proposal on Feb. 16 that would decriminalize the possession of marijuana for quantities under one ounce. Although it has received substantial criticism from Republican leaders, the bill has garnered widespread support from the student body. The College Democrats of Connecticut and the Students for Sensible Drug Policy have been especially vocal in promoting it.
“The proposal is really neat,” said Bobby Burvant ’13, a member of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy. “We’ve been handing out fliers around campus to let people know that this is a possibility, which sort of came as a surprise.”
Under the University’s current alcohol and other drug (AOD) policy, if a Public Safety (PSafe) officer finds any amount of marijuana on a student, they must report the student to the Middletown Police Department (MPD) and wait with the student until the officer arrives. Under the current state law, a first offense possession of less than four ounces of marijuana is punishable by up to one year in prison and up to a $1,000 fine.
“Depending upon how the bill is written and what comes out of it, it may change what we do when we come upon a small amount of marijuana,” said Director of PSafe Dave Meyer.
Bradley Spahn ’11, president of College Democrats of Connecticut said that he supports the bill in part for budgetary reasons.
“College students across the state recognize that decriminalizing marijuana is a common sense move,” Spahn said. “It saves the state money, but it also reflects the benign nature of using small amounts of marijuana. Just like there is a bright line between drunk driving and having a drink with dinner, there also is a bright line between using small amounts of marijuana and serious usage.”
However, not all students have expressed support for the bill.
“Marijuana is an illegal drug for a reason,” said a student who wished to remain anonymous. “It is mind-altering and it can be addictive. You’d think that Governor Malloy could come up with a more practical solution to cut costs from Connecticut’s budget.”
Spahn said that he does not expect Wesleyan’s administration to take a political position on the issue, but he said he is looking into whether it will have an impact on the University’s budget.
“I’m in touch with Wesleyan’s administration to see if they can report about the budget effects of the proposal on Wesleyan’s budget,” Spahn said. “I think that if the proposal would ease some of Wesleyan’s budget problems, then it would be good if our representatives in Hartford knew that.”
Massachusetts voters passed a ballot initiative to decriminalize marijuana in 2008, which has already occurred in 12 other states. According to Spahn, decriminalization would benefit more than just frequent users of marijuana.
“I think the reality is that drugs are a scare tactic employed to scare especially older Americans into voting for drug control,” Spahn said. “I think the war on drugs is a folly, a waste of money, and a terror perpetrated on Latin America. I don’t know if Connecticut’s change of policy is going to change any of that, but I do hope that other states will take note of this issue.”
Other students also expressed support for the bill.
“It’s just a waste of time and money for something that’s a victimless crime,” said Jackson Ulrich ’14. “I think that peoples’ lives could be ruined over possessing small amounts of marijuana.”
Spahn said that he supports Malloy in what he sees as a bold proposal.
“I’m really proud of Governor Malloy for not getting scared away from addressing this issue,” Spahn said. “I think it shows that the Democrats are really serious about taking common sense solutions to budget issues.”