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Everyone seems to be up in arms about CU finally taking action against the outright display of lawlessness and moral trepidation known as Boulder 4/20.
Personally, I squealed with delight when I heard that I would have to show my BuffOne Card to get into campus. Gladly, officer. I was also pleased with their choice to spray fish based fertilizer on Norlin quad. It was a remarkable touch — a big middle finger to everyone who wants to toke up on the field.
I’m surprised it took the administration this long. The administration should have nipped the nascent movement in the bud back when it took place on Farrand Field. But they chose not to — maybe in an attempt to seem liberal and hip. And as the saying goes, if you give a pothead a cookie, he’s going to want to invite all of his friends and through a strange stoner alchemy, turn that cookie into 10,000 bong rips and declare it a display of civil disobedience.
Police officers watch as the 4/20 crowd begins to leave Norlin Quad in 2011. (CU Independent File/Robert R. Denton)
People seem to be forgetting that they are breaking the law. Sure, marijuana is legal in Colorado for myriad medical conditions like glaucoma, back pain, low appetite, night sweats, unusually moist mouth, and low levels of “urge to fight the man,” but for us common folk, it’s still against the law.
But according to the numerous opinion pieces that have been featured in the Daily Camera, the Denver Post, the Colorado Daily, and the Longmont Call-Times and even the CU Independent, this is a civil liberties issue. It’s no longer about wanting to get stoned into oblivion; it’s about the people’s right to dissent.
As a representative from the Colorado chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Mark Silverstein said in the recent Daily Camera article that by closing campus, “The university does a disservice to the values that underlie the First Amendment and the constitutionally protected right to dissent.”
I call shenanigans.
Last time I checked, your constitutional rights stop when they start to encroach on my constitutional rights. You can go out and smoke as much weed as your lungs can facilitate. I don’t really care, but once you gather with every other anarchist in Colorado that thinks the illegality of marijuana is oppressive, and exhale all over my public space, I can make a citizen’s arrest and haul you off in my makeshift paddy wagon.
There is nothing wrong with dissent. Today there are a number or worthy causes where civil disobedience has been effective and applicable. In America it has been economic equality. In the past, it was the civil and women’s rights movements and the Vietnam War. In the Middle East, the Arab Spring has demonstrated (though not peacefully) the people’s desire for democracy. Civil disobedience is dandy, but most often begins with the oppression of basic human rights, not axing the “right” to consume illicit drugs in public.
Not surprisingly, the Occupy Boulder movement has mobilized to take back 4/20 on the grounds that their First Amendment Rights are being stifled. For a movement that wants to be taken seriously by the mainstream media, committing itself to marijuana legalization is not a way to legitimize the cause. Occupy Boulder should organize their march under the guise of a National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) rally as not to undermine the actual goal of the real Occupy movement.
Another argument that has risen from our friend at the ACLU, Silverstein, is that it really isn’t that disruptive.
Again, I call shenanigans.
Talking to a graduate student who will remain unnamed, I learned that the CU Clinical and Translational Research Center, located in Wardenburg Health Center, will be closed on Friday. Instead of conducting research they will succumb to their subjects’ need to get high.
In addition, the free Wyclef Jean concert starts at 2 p.m. and the doors are locked at 4 p.m. How many professors aren’t going to bother holding class? How many classes will be skipped in order for students to attend the show? Even if the show wasn’t going on, how many people regularly skip class to attend the annual smokeout?
For an establishment committed to higher education, putting research and education on the back burner to let everyone smoke pot is the simplest form of irony.
For Silverstein to say that it’s not disruptive shows that he’s obviously never witnessed it. Campus is inundated with 10,000 people who would fit in effortlessly at The Gathering of the Juggalos. In the late afternoon traffic on Broadway stops so people adorned in marijuana themed clothing can drag their club-sized doobies across the street. If I wanted to walk to class through the quad I’d have to wade through these cavemen, nearly doubling my commute.
Either way, I’ll have to surrender to the fact that Wyclef Jean is going to turn the Coors Event Center into the nation’s biggest hot box. Jean even told the Daily Camera that it’s not an anti-4/20 event and that 4/20 is an “everyday holiday.” Way to go, CU.
The thing I’m struggling to understand is why everyone else thinks shutting down campus is a hostile move. If anyone remembers from freshman orientation, CU is a substance-free campus, and every other day of the year is staunchly against illegal activity on school grounds — obviously. Heck, a handful of kids just got in trouble for spray painting stencils on the sidewalk, but every year they let slide a few thousand people turning campus into a bong.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ryan Sterner at Ryan.sterner@colorado.edu.
23 comments
Hey, man, just because your interpretation of the Constitution includes that whole upholding the laws of the land ANDthe right to assemble doesn’t mean participating in illicit activities isn’t inherent in the right to dissent.
But seriously, kudos on the Gathering of the Juggalos reference.
Hey Dingus,
The ACLU etc. is pissed because CU is closing campus/implementing security checkpoints. Woosh.
Best Wishes,
Dickwad
For a “substance free campus”, students smoke a lot of cigarettes and drink a lot of coffee, two substances that are scientifically proven to be more dangerous and addictive than cannabis. Should we outlaw those too? Where does it stop?
I have been a student and a reseacher at CU during 4/20 and I never found it any more “disruptive” than your average class switching period, or, say, the construction of the addition to JILA. In fact, the only serious disruption that it ever caused was due to the administration response — you know, like requiring you show your BuffOne card and hosing down Norlin Quad with dead fish. Have you ever tried to work in the physics building on a football game day? *That* is disruptive. *That* gives CU a bad reputation — can you say “f**k ’em up, f**k ’em up, go CU!”?
Also, kudos for competing in the Oppression Olympics! But sorry, you lose. Everybody loses in the Oppression Olympics, but in particular you lose because drug laws are one of the primary tools in the oppression of the poor and people of color. If you don’t understand how that works, Google “stop and frisk NYC”. You would think that this year of all years, when a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana is on the ballot, would be the year to permit a protest on a major political issue of the day, even one involving minor offenses that don’t hurt anyone.
That’s nice that you think people who smoke pot are unpleasant. I find you unpleasant yourself. I’m sure you’d fit right in with the Republican National Convention. I’ll stick with the “Juggalos” — they’re not nearly as unpleasant as the alternative.
You forgot to mention that the 4/20 gathering reflects poorly on CU and those looking for jobs after graduation. Competition for good jobs are already tough. Employers who see “University of Colorado” on a resume automatically draw conclusions about the applicant and their possible drug addiction or the need to “display of civil disobedience”. This is not a good selling point, and diminishes the value and skill set that students like myself want to portray when interviewing for a job. 4/20 and protesting is fine, just do it somewhere else.
You need to smoke a little and chill out. Stop complaining and just take a couple hits. You’ll make more friends, and probably be a little happier with your life for at least a few hours.
Just so you know, the Clinical & Translational Research Center closed on Friday, because our fascist administration decided to close campus, not because 420 is disruptive. 420 is just as “disruptive” than any football game that takes place directly next to campus laboratories.
– A CU grad student
CU isn’t a substance-free campus actually. There are some dorms that are substance-free such as the academic honor dorms. However if you are 21 and living in a non-academic honor dorm you can have alcohol. Do your research before you add a fact in your article.
Amazingly well written and well thought out!!! Kudos to you and your article!
To Ally,
Couldn’t have said it better.
Were you even at CU when 4/20 was on Farrand Field? I bet you don’t remember it because I doubt you were there. That renovation was CU’s attempt at nipping it in the ‘bud’ – and it failed miserably. That amphitheater projects (or at least did, for a while) past the 36 into the Table Mesa neighborhood, creating extra costs and headaches. Oh, yeah, and 4/20 moved over to the Quad and effectively quadrupled. But that renovation was no incidental makeover.
I don’t necessarily support 4/20, and I did not participate, but it did not disrupt me. I’ve got to agree with Ally; the football games were far more disruptive.
Cute little piece, witty and whatnot, but full of fallacies, illogical conclusions, and horrible decisions on tense. Lay off the present progressive already.
Well written, entertaining, and includes some very good points. Hats off, sir. So maybe CU’s laying it on a little thick (though, the WJ concert puts that in question). This isn’t about pot or your perceived right to smoke it. This is about the school. 4/20 has nothing to do with the university. Most of the participants of 4/20 are not even students. And, like someone wisely pointed out above, the event reflects poorly on our diplomas. If you’re inclined to smoke and want to exercise your right to dissent, go for it. Just don’t do it where you’re disrupting studies (that some of us take seriously), using a BS excuse to do it–because let’s face it. For the majority, 4/20 is not a protest. It’s a chance to smoke weed where you’re not supposed to–and tarnishing hard-earned diplomas. Again, I’m not saying you can’t smoke or even that you can’t protest the fact the marijuana’s not legal. Just don’t pretend you’re hanging on to 4/20 because of your “rights”. Enjoy your joint, and try not to be a pretensions ass. There are enough of those in Administration.
Boo hoo, there’s a bunch of people smoking weed on campus. Seriously, if you don’t like it, then don’t hang outside on campus. It’s not that hard to avoid it if you don’t want to be around it. Every year there’s a gay pride parade that fucks up traffic for 2 days, but we don’t hear any complaining then.
@anonymous: You really want to compare people clogging up the streets to smoke weed with gay rights? Do you see where the fatal flaw in your logic comes in? One deals with human rights and equality, whereas the other deals with a getting fucked up on drugs.
Also, this article isn’t taking a stance on marijuana reform and consumption. It’s a response to the movements that are rising because of CU’s decision that takes a more conservative look at the problem of “taking back 4/20.”
What you just said about gay rights is at the core of the articles argument. Gay rights is a worthy cause for civil disobedience because it deals with basic human rights. Those are a people that are actually being oppressed.
If you really think that admins not letting kids smoke on the quad is oppressive you really are suffering from some first world problems.
Ryan Sterner – May I suggest taking some more critical thinking and writing classes. Your use of slang and derogatory statements is sophomoric – at best.
Jimmy John,
Marijuana rights are JUST like womens/black/gay rights…. “getting fucked up on drugs” is a civil right – a person should be able to choose what to do with their own body if it doesnt hurt others. It is your opinion, and the opinion of many narrow-minded people that people just get “fucked up” on drugs. But in fact, marijuana is less physically harmful and less addictive than caffeine, and it seems that moderate use actually promotes a HEALTHY lifestyle, if you look at any objective scientific study. To you it means getting “fucked up”, to others its the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I don’t get everyone attacking this movement saying they are not really dissenting. Who are you to determine that, do we want people picking and choosing what is and isn’t a proper protest. The beauty of the US and the first amendment is that it protects speech and the right to assemble, start attacking one group on the grounds that their protest is illegitimate and it opens the door for such attacks on more “legitimate” causes. I may not agree with what they have to say but I will, with every ounce of my being, defend their right to say it. America the “free” …
what a fucking kissass. People do drugs. A persons right to CHOOSE is what’s really fucked up here. If I was to choose to do something that doesn’t effect anyone else I can freely. Hell even somethings that do effect you like me calling you a pussy is even legal. If being gay is your idea of human human rights being exercised then being stoned is what? Crossing the line that you made up in your minuscule premise to try to understand something as complex as human rights? What if being ANYTHING was a human right, and people interfering were just dicks not cops.
Ally-
Sorry but conservatives believe in the right to assemble and free speech just as much as the next liberal. I may be relatively conservative but I believe strongly in human rights(such as gay rights, right to abortion, etc). Does that blow your mind? Not all conservatives are religious naysayers who want to take all of your rights away. I hope you read this post and I hope it at least makes you think before you bash other people like that(though it is your right to say so).
As for the article. Bringing in the Occupy movement is a perfect example of this logically flawed argument. Occupy began as a protest against the corrupt business on Wall St, not as a debate about economic equality. [I personally believe that some people’s definition of economic equality IS a violation of our rights in and of itself, but that’s besides the point]. Now the movement has grown into something completely different and comparing the two and condemning them for rallying for 4/20 rights is unimportant and completely off topic of this article.
4/20 at boulder isn’t a public display of idiocracy (though it may turn into that), it is a tradition and is relavent to current marijuana legalization issues. If the fact that people smoke marijuana bothers you….your probably in the wrong city/state…sorry. It is a protest and it is a valid right of the people to assemble to fight against policies that they believe are wrong. A concept our country was founded on.
Also, as a former psychology major, I know that marijuana can be used for more than just back aches (and for cancer patients…you forgot to mention that one). It can be used for anxiety. Think about it, people are prescribed xanax daily for anxiety issues and one of the side affects of the drug can sometimes be addiction. Again as others have stated, should we control who and when people can be prescribed anti psychotic or anti anxiety or anti depressants for that matter? Where do we draw the line on our human need to control everything around us? Is it worse to use xanax to control your anxiety or marijuana? Double-edged sword as some would say. You can’t expect people to stop doing things because you don’t like it, you can’t expect people to stop saying things because you don’t like hearing them, please stop trying to control others actions and start focusing on your own.
Its funny, the general public can’t break a state law, but the state can break a federal law?? Yea thats logical. People seem to forget it is a federal law that bands marijuana. So if they state can break a federal law (under the BS reason of medical purposes), whats so different that a bunch of college kids do it. Honestly it makes more sense for college kids to do it then our elected politicians. This is beyond stupid, all this is doing is moving the people to a different location, so say… idk… the coors event center? Or another field, hows Farrand sound? Like come on people, your making more press for this then there has ever been years past.
I swear to god I’ll pistol whip the next guy that says shenanigans.
http://www.protias.com/Pictures/Super%20Troopers/o%20hagan%20-%20shenanigans.jpg
You are awesome… this is so true, for anyone who has witnessed 4/20 gatherings, they do nothing to promote legalization of marijuana, which is the goal everyone is trying to say they are working toward, but are an excuse for rebellious high school kids and jobless 30-40 somethings who live on their mothers’ couch. Well done
CU: Allows 25 feet tall posters of dead fetuses with radical activists. Allows someone with a bible to yell at me in between classes saying I’m “going to hell” for getting an education instead of praising Jesus. Allows people to come up to me trying to force Christian beliefs. (“free speech”)
Denies: a bunch of hippies smoking weed on campus for two to four hours. (considered a “disruption”)
I am not a fan of the fact that there are young children, high school students, and old creepy hippies on my campus while it lights up for a few hours one day out of the year, but I can’t help but wonder how it’s any different than the radical religious people who yell at us on campus on a weekly basis? If we are going to regulate this event, which is totally fine with me, then please also make these psycho morons, who harass me while I’m trying to further my education and knowledge, move to another campus. Thank you.